Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Up 1% – What’s Next?

by · The Markets Daily

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT – Get Free Report) traded up 1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $95.96 and last traded at $95.71. 4,901,786 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 17,650,191 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.73.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on WMT

Walmart Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $92.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $757.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total value of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,852,396.42. This represents a 0.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 178,852 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,080 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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