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

Meritas Wealth Management LLC lessened its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,752 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.4% of Meritas Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Meritas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $610,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 77.3% during the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP bought a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.2 %

Walmart stock opened at $93.05 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $747.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.19, a P/E/G ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $91.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.63. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.44 and a twelve month high of $96.18.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.51 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 140,177 shares of company stock worth $12,478,149. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com downgraded Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.69.

About Walmart

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.