Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 3.5% - Time to Sell?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) dropped 3.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $87.55 and last traded at $88.51. Approximately 10,275,712 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 34% from the average daily volume of 15,644,738 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.20.

Walmart Stock Down 0.7 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $95.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $88.59. The company has a market cap of $679.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.11, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. Walmart's payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at $52,485,124.40. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Whelan Financial increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in 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 in the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC increased 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 worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during 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.