Centaurus Financial Inc. Has $2.71 Million Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 32.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,372 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,533 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 25,104,994 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,691,763,000 after acquiring an additional 249,501 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 112,181.6% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,854,919 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,240,599,000 after acquiring an additional 22,834,564 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Walmart by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,382,688 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,173,642,000 after acquiring an additional 1,923,199 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $2,598,736,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 11,685,848 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,515,655,000 after purchasing an additional 33,452 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 33.18% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of WMT opened at $164.56 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $128.07 and a 52 week high of $165.85. The firm has a market cap of $442.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.49. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $158.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $152.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 17th. The retailer reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.15. Walmart had a net margin of 2.23% and a return on equity of 21.47%. The business had revenue of $161.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.77 EPS. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $169.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $168.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $175.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 8th. Four equities 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.51.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,369,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total value of $213,564,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 242,553,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,838,348,496. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.37, for a total value of $161,370.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 169,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,390,136.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,369,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total transaction of $213,564,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 242,553,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,838,348,496. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,862,773 shares of company stock worth $1,219,366,298. Insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units 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, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.