Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 1% – Should You Sell?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price was down 1% on Monday . The company traded as low as $103.60 and last traded at $104.04. Approximately 14,096,845 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 7% from the average daily volume of 15,084,413 shares. The stock had previously closed at $105.05.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Bank of America increased their price target on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.53.

Walmart Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $94.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $835.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.70, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total value of $2,663,098.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,814,805 shares in the company, valued at $348,825,769.20. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 175,177 shares of company stock valued at $16,403,728 in the last three months. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.