Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Up 1.3% – What’s Next?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price shot up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $89.11 and last traded at $88.90. 6,727,062 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 20,173,061 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of several recent research reports. DZ Bank raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.17.

Walmart Stock Up 1.2 %

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $94.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $89.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $720.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.29, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced 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. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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 given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at $52,859,472.96. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 176,652 shares of company stock valued at $16,590,028. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of 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. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. 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.