Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 167.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 75,486 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 47,311 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 1.1% of Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $6,627,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 9,896.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock worth $697,029,000 after buying an additional 7,860,306 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after buying an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,707.6% in the fourth quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 3,718,058 shares of the retailer's stock worth $324,410,000 after buying an additional 3,512,368 shares during the period. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 48.3% in the fourth quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 9,765,159 shares of the retailer's stock worth $882,282,000 after buying an additional 3,182,477 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $95.01. 14,622,243 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,156,813. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $758.22 billion, a PE ratio of 40.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 0.68. The company's 50-day moving average is $96.81 and its 200 day moving average is $94.65. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.67 and a 52 week high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is 40.17%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,744 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.60, for a total transaction of $166,726.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 649,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,066,674.80. This trade represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total transaction of $380,960.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,060,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,997,734.20. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 142,695 shares of company stock worth $13,710,162 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

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.