Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 1% Higher – Still a Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares were up 1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $99.19 and last traded at $98.81. Approximately 4,585,398 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 17,985,663 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.78.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Mizuho raised their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.50.

Walmart Trading Up 0.7%

The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $786.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.69. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $96.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.26.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total value of $1,258,031.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 945,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $90,619,848.90. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,451,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,511 shares of company stock valued at $13,493,751 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 319.7% during the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 98.2% in the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 432.4% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth $35,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.