Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 0.4%

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price shot up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $59.79 and last traded at $59.74. 3,799,153 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 18,836,006 shares. The stock had previously closed at $59.53.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 19th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $68.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Walmart from $67.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Stifel Europe increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Walmart Stock Down 1.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $59.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $476.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.2075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.38%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.54, for a total transaction of $1,559,298.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,274,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $228,855,391.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.26, for a total transaction of $180,780.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 524,613 shares in the company, valued at $31,613,179.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.54, for a total value of $1,559,298.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,274,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $228,855,391.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,846,536. 46.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth about $209,000. Ellenbecker Investment Group raised its stake in Walmart by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 4,453 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $712,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Summit Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,433 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $709,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. KFG Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. KFG Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,588 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,214,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nikulski Financial Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 18.7% during the third quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc. now owns 8,036 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,285,000 after purchasing an additional 1,264 shares during the period. 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.