Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 0.1% Higher – Should You Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price traded up 0.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $98.73 and last traded at $97.78. 5,960,362 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 17,291,869 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.69.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.07.

Walmart Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $776.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.11, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 146,528 shares of company stock valued at $13,849,185. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.