Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Sells 6,327 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,291 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 6,327 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $5,588,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 63,135,639 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $5,098,203,000 after acquiring an additional 7,200,004 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 4.6% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,848,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,107,197 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 36,282,740 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,456,704,000 after purchasing an additional 644,353 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 1.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,236,769 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,522,369,000 after purchasing an additional 350,881 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 23,273,933 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,879,370,000 after purchasing an additional 228,121 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE WMT traded up $0.62 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $92.50. 11,041,178 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,469,282. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $49.85 and a 52-week high of $92.64. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $74.93. The firm has a market cap of $743.54 billion, a PE ratio of 37.96, a PEG ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. UBS Group increased their target price on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $91.88.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,375,563 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.96, for a total value of $182,823,328.48. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 619,646,544 shares in the company, valued at $47,687,998,026.24. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total value of $166,607.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 459,558 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,113,904.08. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,385,186 shares of company stock valued at $963,206,365. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Company 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.