Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 1.4% - What's Next?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 1.4% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $90.09 and last traded at $90.06. 4,893,572 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 16,952,471 shares. The stock had previously closed at $88.83.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp increased their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.17.

Walmart Trading Down 1.9 %

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $94.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $705.68 billion, a PE ratio of 36.57, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. This represents a 0.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, 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 176,652 shares of company stock worth $16,590,028 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 37.1% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 3,927,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Walmart by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 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.