Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 0.1%

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) traded up 0.1% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $59.33 and last traded at $59.14. 2,794,344 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 18,762,688 shares. The stock had previously closed at $59.09.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Walmart to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Walmart to $66.67 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Stifel Europe lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $61.75.

Walmart Stock Up 1.3 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $482.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 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. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $59.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.64.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $170.85 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.08% and a net margin of 2.39%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.57 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.2075 per share. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total transaction of $117,560.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 656,395,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,582,913,441.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.54, for a total transaction of $1,559,298.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now 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 can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total transaction of $117,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 656,395,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,582,913,441.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,695,846,536. Company insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Seven Mile Advisory lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Seven Mile Advisory now owns 3,953 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $632,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,436,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bill Few Associates Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 5,806 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $915,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.