Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.6% - Here's What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s stock price was down 0.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $94.79 and last traded at $95.31. Approximately 3,765,232 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 17,764,174 shares. The stock had previously closed at $95.84.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Mizuho started coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given 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

The stock has a market capitalization of $761.20 billion, a PE ratio of 39.40, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $90.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $90.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $374,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,096,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $102,518,542.50. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 140,533 shares of company stock worth $13,241,740 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased 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 worth $697,029,000 after purchasing an additional 7,860,306 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 37.1% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,289,419,000 after buying an additional 6,860,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew 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 worth $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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