Verity Asset Management Inc. Reduces Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Verity Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 9.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 78,214 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 8,064 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 2.4% of Verity Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Verity Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,317,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lewis Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 21.2% in the third quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC now owns 5,064 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $409,000 after buying an additional 886 shares in the last quarter. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 22.8% in the third quarter. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 17,294 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,397,000 after purchasing an additional 3,208 shares in the last quarter. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $869,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP boosted its position in Walmart by 19.5% during the third quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 6,783 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $548,000 after purchasing an additional 1,107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Walmart from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Walmart from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Tigress Financial upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $83.92.

Walmart Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE:WMT traded up $1.38 on Friday, reaching $85.23. 7,388,715 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,745,523. The firm has a market capitalization of $685.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.51. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.85 and a 1-year high of $85.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company's 50 day moving average is $80.22 and its 200-day moving average is $71.67.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.64, for a total transaction of $2,348,559.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,873,053 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $312,322,993.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.64, for a total transaction of $2,348,559.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,873,053 shares of the company's stock, valued at $312,322,993.92. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total transaction of $166,607.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 459,558 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,113,904.08. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

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.