Meritas Wealth Management LLC Acquires 300 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Meritas Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,052 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 0.4% of Meritas Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Meritas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 138.3% in the second quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $80.43 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $49.85 and a 52 week high of $81.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market cap of $646.52 billion, a PE ratio of 34.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The business had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WMT. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. HSBC boosted their target price on Walmart from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. DA Davidson increased their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their price target on Walmart from $71.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.62.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total value of $166,661.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 463,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,239,034.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares in the company, valued at $48,781,873,820.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total value of $166,661.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 463,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,239,034.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,337,670 shares of company stock worth $958,267,937. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

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.