Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.1%

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) traded down 0.1% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $76.73 and last traded at $77.13. 4,466,170 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 17,371,932 shares. The stock had previously closed at $77.17.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 11th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $78.99.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $70.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $621.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.06, a PEG ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total transaction of $1,991,790.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,960,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at $270,851,892.78. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.19, for a total transaction of $207,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 387,165 shares in the company, valued at $26,787,946.35. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total value of $1,991,790.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,960,402 shares in the company, valued at $270,851,892.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,306,511 shares of company stock valued at $420,470,807 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 199.3% during the 1st quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the period. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 138.3% in the 2nd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

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.