Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Guardian Investment Management

Guardian Investment Management trimmed its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,800 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 3,995 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 3.7% of Guardian Investment Management's holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Guardian Investment Management's holdings in Walmart were worth $5,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. Brophy Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth $2,072,000. Bank of New Hampshire lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,332,000 after buying an additional 5,786 shares during the period. Iowa State Bank lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 213.8% in the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,422,000 after buying an additional 18,263 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 4.6% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,848,533,000 after buying an additional 2,107,197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $541,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total value of $246,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 378,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,054,909.80. This trade represents a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 140,177 shares of company stock valued at $12,478,149. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. KeyCorp upped their target price on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Roth Mkm upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $94.69.

Walmart Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE WMT traded up $1.11 on Tuesday, reaching $93.05. The company had a trading volume of 23,228,988 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,407,088. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $53.44 and a 52 week high of $96.18. The stock's 50 day moving average is $91.31 and its 200-day moving average is $81.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $747.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.19, a PEG ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. Walmart's revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

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.