Natixis Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,760,904 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 162,082 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $119,231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,159.6% during the 4th quarter. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. now owns 361,920 shares of the retailer's stock worth $57,057,000 after acquiring an additional 333,187 shares during the period. Aveo Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,330 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $683,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. 9258 Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,972 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,045,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, AJOVista LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.61, for a total transaction of $2,056,445.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,931,301 shares in the company, valued at $277,589,163.61. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 25,578 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.48, for a total transaction of $1,674,847.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 415,743 shares in the company, valued at $27,222,851.64. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.61, for a total value of $2,056,445.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,931,301 shares of the company's stock, valued at $277,589,163.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,332,089 shares of company stock worth $422,145,654. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Barclays boosted their price target on Walmart from $66.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. HSBC boosted their price target on Walmart from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $78.64.

Walmart Trading Up 1.1 %

Walmart stock traded up $0.81 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $77.23. The stock had a trading volume of 23,229,975 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,739,604. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market cap of $621.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.50. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $49.85 and a one year high of $77.47. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $70.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.73.

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

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.