Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 0.5% – What’s Next?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares traded up 0.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $86.11 and last traded at $85.62. 4,326,183 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 16,009,972 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.21.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on WMT. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given 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 $103.17.

Walmart Stock Up 0.4 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $686.09 billion, a PE ratio of 35.51, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $94.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.22.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 147,528 shares of company stock worth $14,096,140 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fire Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $1,711,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $273,000. M1 Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $701,000. DSG Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $6,679,000. Finally, Chancellor Financial Group WB LP bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $400,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.