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

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 6.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 357,284 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,234 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 1.0% of Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $24,192,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Walmart by 199.3% in the 1st quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 138.3% in the 2nd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Able Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $78.62 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $631.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.65, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.48. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $49.85 and a 52 week high of $81.02. 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 (NYSE:WMT) last posted 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 net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The company had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total value of $313,228,886.80. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 934,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total value of $74,215,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 610,843,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,537,610,048.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,203,360 shares of company stock valued at $788,678,803. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of several research reports. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Barclays raised their price target on Walmart from $66.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.