Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Grows Holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 357,284 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 21,234 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 1.0% of Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $24,192,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Landmark Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Landmark Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,055 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,112,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 3,377 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $532,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Amussen Hunsaker Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Amussen Hunsaker Associates LLC now owns 15,979 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,519,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Per Stirling Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Per Stirling Capital Management LLC. now owns 4,009 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $632,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 6,166 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $975,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total value of $313,228,886.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at $47,245,498,149.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 27th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $44,025,828. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,203,360 shares of company stock worth $788,678,803 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $78.62 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $72.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $631.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.65, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $49.85 and a 52-week high of $81.02.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Walmart from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. TD Cowen raised their target price on Walmart from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $78.99.

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.