UBS Group Lowers Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Price Target to $110.00

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) had its target price decreased by UBS Group from $112.00 to $110.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the retailer's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on WMT. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.58.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded up $2.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $94.91. 27,735,066 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,697,826. Walmart has a fifty-two week low of $58.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $760.88 billion, a PE ratio of 39.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $92.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $348,852,396.42. This trade represents a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 178,852 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,080. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 9,896.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $697,029,000 after acquiring an additional 7,860,306 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 37.1% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,289,419,000 after acquiring an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Walmart by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,893,079,000 after acquiring an additional 3,927,173 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.