Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Purchases 316,259 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 200.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 473,783 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 316,259 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 1.0% of Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $28,508,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Walmart by 199.3% in the first quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total value of $73,610,637.46. Following the sale, the insider now owns 647,371,888 shares in the company, valued at $42,092,120,157.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total value of $73,610,637.46. Following the sale, the insider now owns 647,371,888 shares in the company, valued at $42,092,120,157.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total transaction of $177,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 521,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,816,896.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,525,340 shares of company stock valued at $953,023,399 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $68.24 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $548.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $64.40 and a 200 day moving average of $59.65. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $49.85 and a twelve month high of $69.04.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $161.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.57 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 21.57%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. StockNews.com lowered shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Walmart from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $81.00 in a report on Monday, June 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.47.

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.