Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Has $1.31 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 31.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 16,264 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 7,521 shares during the period. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,313,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hoese & Co LLP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 138.3% during the second quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the period. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth $36,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $82.02 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $78.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.99. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $49.85 and a twelve month high of $82.22. The stock has a market cap of $659.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.05, a PEG ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total transaction of $166,607.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 459,558 shares in the company, valued at $37,113,904.08. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total value of $313,228,886.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,267,901 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Walmart from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Melius Research began coverage on Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Walmart from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.51.

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.