Willis Investment Counsel Decreases Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Willis Investment Counsel decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 0.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 171,630 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 184 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 1.7% of Willis Investment Counsel’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Walmart were worth $26,977,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Carl Stuart Investment Advisor Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,210,753,000. Sageworth Trust Co boosted its position in Walmart by 2,414.3% during the first quarter. Sageworth Trust Co now owns 176 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 58.3% in the first quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 190 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 387.8% in the first quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 200 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 33.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Walmart from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. StockNews.com started coverage on Walmart in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Walmart from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. Credit Suisse Group upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $176.51.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $164.64 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $159.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $152.70. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $128.07 and a fifty-two week high of $165.85. The firm has a market cap of $443.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.49.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 17th. The retailer reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $161.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.22 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.47% and a net margin of 2.23%. The business’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.77 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 6.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.04, for a total value of $1,505,128.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,490,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $231,105,879.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 473,370 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.75, for a total transaction of $73,727,377.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 241,479,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,610,376,989.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.04, for a total value of $1,505,128.32. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,490,621 shares in the company, valued at $231,105,879.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 6,493,773 shares of company stock valued at $1,005,802,298. 46.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units 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, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.