Insider Selling: Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) EVP Sells 4,000 Shares of Stock

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Walmart Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE WMT traded down $0.55 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $85.78. The company had a trading volume of 18,143,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,895,378. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $58.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company has a market capitalization of $687.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. 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’s 50 day moving average is $95.45 and its 200 day moving average is $88.92.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.10%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Walmart from $99.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.17.

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.