Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 6.4% - Should You Sell?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) fell 6.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $96.68 and last traded at $97.29. 29,126,897 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 88% from the average session volume of 15,524,046 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America raised their price objective on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $102.43.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $760.77 billion, a PE ratio of 38.86, a PEG ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The business has a 50-day moving average of $95.62 and a 200 day moving average of $86.25.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's payout ratio is 34.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total value of $2,663,098.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares in the company, valued at $348,825,769.20. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 176,777 shares of company stock worth $16,570,112 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Whelan Financial boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock worth $538,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $924,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,417,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.