Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Sells 39,758 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lowered its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 177,760 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 39,758 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 1.0% of Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $19,804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Addison Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 7,374 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $822,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 343,561 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $38,276,000 after purchasing an additional 6,594 shares during the last quarter. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 19,915 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,219,000 after purchasing an additional 867 shares during the last quarter. Goldenstone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,241,000. Finally, FourThought Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 60,254 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,713,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported Q1 EPS of $0.66, ahead of estimates, on revenue of $177.75 billion, also above expectations. The company also highlighted strong underlying growth drivers, including 26% global e-commerce growth and 37% growth in advertising revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed its long-term strategy and kept annual targets in place, which supports the view that Walmart’s core business remains resilient despite a cautious consumer backdrop. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts noted that Walmart continues to benefit from value-seeking shoppers, but the market is also watching whether the company can sustain growth if consumers become more stressed by inflation and higher fuel costs. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s Q2 guidance came in below analyst forecasts, with EPS and revenue outlooks both disappointing investors. That weaker near-term guidance is the main reason the stock is falling today. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned that high gas prices are squeezing household budgets and raising Walmart’s transportation and logistics costs, increasing the risk of margin pressure even as shoppers shift toward cheaper purchases. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $137.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $138.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total transaction of $2,566,989.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,193,995 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $554,488,078.95. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total transaction of $361,688.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 596,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $74,334,117.76. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 109,983 shares of company stock worth $13,908,797 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $121.34 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $93.43 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $126.83 and a 200-day moving average of $120.03. The company has a market capitalization of $967.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.28, a P/E/G ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Profile

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.