Sivia Capital Partners LLC Buys 7,903 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 166.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,645 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,903 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.5% of Sivia Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Sivia Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $761,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $3,674,652,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 184.1% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 12,567,533 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $756,188,000 after purchasing an additional 8,144,393 shares during the last quarter. BlueSpruce Investments LP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $568,419,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 15,371.4% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,511,225 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $553,545,000 after buying an additional 3,488,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Walmart by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,235,920 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,190,194,000 after buying an additional 2,150,351 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $68.24 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $49.85 and a one year high of $69.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $548.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.20, a PEG ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $64.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.71.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The business had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.49 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 25,578 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.58, for a total transaction of $1,728,561.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 390,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,367,350.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 8,791 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.00, for a total transaction of $597,788.00. Following the completion of 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 25,578 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.58, for a total value of $1,728,561.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 390,165 shares in the company, valued at $26,367,350.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,525,340 shares of company stock worth $953,023,399 in the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on WMT shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Walmart from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. HSBC upped their price target on Walmart from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.47.

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.