Sentry LLC Has $6.18 Million Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Sentry LLC lessened its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 68,398 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 4,627 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 1.2% of Sentry LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Sentry LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $6,180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.7% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 884,820 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $71,449,000 after purchasing an additional 70,808 shares during the last quarter. Curbstone Financial Management Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Curbstone Financial Management Corp now owns 14,598 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,179,000 after buying an additional 594 shares during the period. Meritas Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Meritas Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,052 shares of the retailer's stock worth $569,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Marotta Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth $209,000. Finally, Wiser Wealth Management Inc purchased a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $247,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 137,177 shares of company stock worth $12,649,328 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.11.

Walmart Trading Down 0.7 %

WMT stock opened at $97.97 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $92.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.90. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $55.04 and a fifty-two week high of $99.00. The firm has a market cap of $787.00 billion, a PE ratio of 40.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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