Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 1.6% Higher - Time to Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) was up 1.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $86.63 and last traded at $86.55. Approximately 6,808,691 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 16,873,539 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.15.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on WMT. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Walmart from $99.00 to $93.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Two investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.17.

Walmart Trading Up 1.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $711.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.81, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $94.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $89.51.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 176,652 shares of company stock worth $16,590,028. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired 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 during the fourth quarter valued at $2,306,627,000. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 37.1% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 14.0% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Walmart by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,037 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

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.