Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 0.1%

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) dropped 0.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $67.71 and last traded at $67.83. Approximately 1,972,432 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 17,950,637 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.88.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Walmart from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Walmart from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Roth Mkm increased their target price on Walmart from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price objective on Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.97.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.11. The company has a market capitalization of $542.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.52.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $161.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.57 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn sold 30,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.82, for a total transaction of $1,944,600.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 144,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,386,389.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 3,633,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.80, for a total transaction of $242,737,840.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 636,898,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,544,840,574.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.82, for a total value of $1,944,600.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 144,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,386,389.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,451,722 shares of company stock valued at $947,990,915. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,436,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 5,806 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $915,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.1% in the third quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC now owns 1,643 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $263,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rossmore Private Capital increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Rossmore Private Capital now owns 20,504 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,232,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.