Meeder Asset Management Inc. Buys 134,149 Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 78.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 306,053 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 134,149 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 1.9% of Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $27,652,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 422,736,888 shares of the retailer's stock worth $38,194,278,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,683 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 3.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 87,617,409 shares of the retailer's stock worth $7,048,465,000 after buying an additional 2,786,061 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,793,045 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,408,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,133,201 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 41,501,782 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,392,658,000 after acquiring an additional 1,480,927 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

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Walmart Stock Up 1.0 %

WMT stock traded up $0.91 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $88.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 22,070,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,984,104. The firm's 50-day moving average is $94.54 and its 200-day moving average is $89.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $711.10 billion, a PE ratio of 36.81, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. Walmart's payout ratio is 39.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank lowered Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.17.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total transaction of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares in the company, valued at $348,852,396.42. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 568,626 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,859,472.96. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 176,652 shares of company stock worth $16,590,028 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Walmart Company 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.