Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 0.1%

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price was down 0.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $60.52 and last traded at $60.58. Approximately 2,589,486 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 18,287,613 shares. The stock had previously closed at $60.62.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on WMT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 19th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Walmart to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Stifel Europe boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.94.

Walmart Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $60.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.12. The company has a market cap of $485.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 21.08%. The company had revenue of $173.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $170.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.57 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.2075 per share. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 10,950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.33, for a total transaction of $638,750.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 104,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,086,850. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total value of $177,240.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 521,613 shares in the company, valued at $30,816,896.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP David Chojnowski sold 10,950 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.33, for a total transaction of $638,750.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 104,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,086,850. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,045,631. 46.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 137,214,807 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,944,764,000 after purchasing an additional 751,713 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 183.0% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 29,172,985 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,755,339,000 after buying an additional 18,865,484 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 24,087,268 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,852,277,000 after buying an additional 426,388 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,674,652,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Walmart by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,235,920 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,190,194,000 after acquiring an additional 2,150,351 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.