Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Shares Sold by Meridian Investment Counsel Inc.

Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,948 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 4,625 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 1.5% of Meridian Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,874,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded down $0.96 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $88.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 19,036,639 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,399,660. The company has a market cap of $711.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $94.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.52. 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 (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total value of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $348,852,396.42. This represents a 0.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 176,652 shares of company stock worth $16,590,028. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Walmart from $99.00 to $93.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.17.

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.