Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 0.7% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) traded down 0.7% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $90.45 and last traded at $90.78. 2,641,990 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 10,554,076 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.43.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Walmart from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.69.

Walmart Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $89.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.96. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $731.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,065 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.69, for a total transaction of $166,624.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 457,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,915,110.17. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz purchased 5,446 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 7,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $716,577.05. The trade was a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 140,412 shares of company stock worth $12,478,116. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.