Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 0.4% – What’s Next?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price rose 0.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $96.00 and last traded at $95.52. Approximately 3,155,036 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 17,772,729 shares. The stock had previously closed at $95.09.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group reduced their price target on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $102.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $90.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $760.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $374,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,096,455 shares in the company, valued at $102,518,542.50. The trade was a 0.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 140,533 shares of company stock worth $13,241,740. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth $35,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.