Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Position Lowered by Canal Insurance CO

Canal Insurance CO lowered its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 105,000 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 25,250 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 2.5% of Canal Insurance CO's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Canal Insurance CO's holdings in Walmart were worth $9,487,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hoese & Co LLP acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $94.69.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded up $1.11 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $98.61. 10,992,918 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,019,792. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $55.04 and a 1 year high of $98.93. The company has a market cap of $792.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company's 50 day moving average is $92.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.79.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total value of $2,663,098.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $348,825,769.20. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total value of $246,360.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 378,165 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,054,909.80. The trade was a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 140,177 shares of company stock worth $12,895,688. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.