Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Position Boosted by Meritas Wealth Management LLC

Meritas Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 225.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,526 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 5,214 shares during the quarter. Meritas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,674,652,000. BlueSpruce Investments LP acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $568,419,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 15,371.4% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,511,225 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $553,545,000 after purchasing an additional 3,488,530 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,235,920 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,190,194,000 after purchasing an additional 2,150,351 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 207.3% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,279,715 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $137,170,000 after purchasing an additional 1,537,828 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $67.71 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $544.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s fifty day moving average is $64.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.85 and a 12-month high of $69.04.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $161.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.57 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.49 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Walmart from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $63.33 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price target on Walmart from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.97.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total value of $1,748,313.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,018,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $241,239,559.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.20, for a total value of $895,125.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 645,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,025,828. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total value of $1,748,313.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,018,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $241,239,559.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,499,762 shares of company stock valued at $951,294,838. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

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.