Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 0.1%

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price was up 0.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $59.67 and last traded at $59.32. Approximately 4,260,540 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 18,892,924 shares. The stock had previously closed at $59.26.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Stifel Europe lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 19th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $68.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Walmart to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.54.

Walmart Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $59.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.47. The company has a market capitalization of $475.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 21.08%. The company had revenue of $173.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.57 earnings per share. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.2075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.38%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.54, for a total value of $1,559,298.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,274,475 shares in the company, valued at $228,855,391.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.54, for a total value of $1,559,298.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,274,475 shares in the company, valued at $228,855,391.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director S Robson Walton sold 5,816,175 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.95, for a total transaction of $337,066,728.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 677,052,654 shares in the company, valued at $39,237,458,141.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 29,032,265 shares of company stock worth $1,696,559,224 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kozak & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1,490.0% during the third quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 159 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Walmart by 199.3% during the first quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Partnership Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently 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.