Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.6% – Time to Sell?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) was down 0.6% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $95.81 and last traded at $97.62. Approximately 6,045,858 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average daily volume of 17,802,010 shares. The stock had previously closed at $98.24.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.94.

Walmart Stock Down 0.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $784.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a 50 day moving average of $91.19 and a 200 day moving average of $92.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in Walmart by 209.7% during the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $79,960,000 after acquiring an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,355,000 after acquiring an additional 9,292 shares in the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $359,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.