Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Meridian Management Co.

Key Points

• Meridian Management Co. reduced its Walmart holdings by 5.5% in the first quarter, making Walmart its 7th largest position with a valuation of approximately $11.9 million.
• Walmart reported $0.61 earnings per share for the most recent quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $0.58, and achieved revenue of $165.61 billion, an increase of 2.5% year-over-year.
• The company recently declared a $0.235 dividend, reflecting a yield of 0.95%, with a payout ratio of 40.17% as of its last filing.

Meridian Management Co. lessened its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 5.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 135,962 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 7,974 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 3.7% of Meridian Management Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Meridian Management Co.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $11,936,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Eagle Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer's stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 36,945 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,338,000 after acquiring an additional 1,720 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tucker Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 88.2% in the fourth quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC now owns 1,272 shares of the retailer's stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded up $0.42 during trading on Thursday, reaching $98.01. 5,766,430 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 19,105,861. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.67 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. 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 cap of $782.13 billion, a PE ratio of 41.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.93.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total value of $216,568.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 628,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 143,912 shares of company stock valued at $13,863,813. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.67.

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.