Howard Bailey Securities LLC Raises Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Howard Bailey Securities LLC boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 65.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,422 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,748 shares during the quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $400,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $105.10 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.95. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $55.85 and a 12-month high of $105.24. The firm has a market cap of $844.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.13, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 175,177 shares of company stock valued at $16,403,728 over the last quarter. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on Walmart from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $98.85.

Walmart Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.