Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 2% – Here’s What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price dropped 2% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $85.52 and last traded at $85.77. Approximately 8,566,314 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 46% from the average daily volume of 15,959,564 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.49.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Tigress Financial boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.17.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $95.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.19. The stock has a market cap of $680.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. 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) last announced its 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. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 189,777 shares of company stock valued at $18,001,116. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its stake 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.