Bellecapital International acquired a new position in shares of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 5,165 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $317,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Capstone Asset Management Company increased its stake in Wal-Mart Stores by 119.1% in the fourth quarter. Capstone Asset Management Company now owns 312,716 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,169,000 after buying an additional 170,005 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management increased its stake in Wal-Mart Stores by 128.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management now owns 251,770 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $15,434,000 after buying an additional 141,466 shares during the period. ING Groep increased its stake in Wal-Mart Stores by 15.5% in the third quarter. ING Groep now owns 586,420 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $38,024,000 after buying an additional 78,853 shares during the period. Country Trust Bank increased its stake in Wal-Mart Stores by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 460,975 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $28,258,000 after buying an additional 76,880 shares during the period. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Company increased its stake in Wal-Mart Stores by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Company now owns 505,892 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,011,000 after buying an additional 50,000 shares during the period.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) opened at 63.45 on Tuesday. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $56.30 and a 1-year high of $88.46. The firm has a market cap of $203.16 billion and a P/E ratio of 13.58. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $61.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.97.

Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 17th. The retailer reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.05. The company earned $117.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $117.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.15 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. will post $4.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Vetr upgraded shares of Wal-Mart Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $62.30 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, November 30th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Wal-Mart Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 21st. Citigroup Inc. initiated coverage on shares of Wal-Mart Stores in a report on Monday, November 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank lowered their price objective on shares of Wal-Mart Stores from $76.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Stephens downgraded shares of Wal-Mart Stores from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $58.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-one have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Wal-Mart Stores has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.42.

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $58.46 per share, with a total value of $584,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 25,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,483,364.04. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is engaged in the operation of retail, wholesale and other units in various formats around the world. The Company offers an assortment of merchandise and services at everyday low prices (NYSE:WMT). The Company’s operations are conducted in three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club. The Walmart U.S. segment operates retail stores in all 50 states in the United States, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, with three primary store formats, as well as digital retail. The Walmart International segment consists of operations in 26 countries outside of the United States and includes numerous formats divided into three main categories: retail, wholesale and other. The Sam’s Club consists of membership-only warehouse clubs and operates in 48 states in the United States and in Puerto Rico, as well as digital retail.

12 Month Chart for NYSE:WMT

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