Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 0.2% on Insider Selling

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) dropped 0.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $67.76 and last traded at $67.92. Approximately 1,689,462 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 17,815,080 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.07.

Specifically, EVP John D. Rainey sold 25,578 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.58, for a total value of $1,728,561.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 390,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,367,350.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 25,578 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.58, for a total transaction of $1,728,561.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 390,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,367,350.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total value of $1,991,790.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,960,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $270,851,892.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,525,340 shares of company stock valued at $953,023,399. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $63.33 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.47.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $64.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.65. The company has a market cap of $546.08 billion, a PE ratio of 29.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 21.57%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.49 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 73,360 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,731,000 after acquiring an additional 8,747 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 12,778 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,044,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 30.7% in the 3rd quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 2,155 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the period. JT Stratford LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 12,859 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,057,000 after buying an additional 867 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scotia Capital Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 4.0% during the third quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 339,828 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $54,341,000 after buying an additional 13,209 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.