Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. Acquires 734 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 18.3% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,737 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 734 shares during the period. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $321,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the first quarter worth $25,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $83.00 price target (up previously from $81.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 16th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.99.

Walmart Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of WMT stock opened at $78.05 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $627.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.35, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $73.24 and its 200 day moving average is $66.65. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.85 and a 12-month high of $81.02.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 8,791 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.00, for a total transaction of $597,788.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,415 shares in the company, valued at $6,420,220. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 8,791 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.00, for a total transaction of $597,788.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,420,220. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total value of $166,607.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 459,558 shares in the company, valued at $37,113,904.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,369,039 shares of company stock worth $959,826,083 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Walmart

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.