Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 0.5% - What's Next?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) traded up 0.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $87.08 and last traded at $86.79. 3,711,678 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 15,840,005 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.33.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Tigress Financial raised their price target on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given 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 price target of $103.17.

Walmart Trading Up 0.1 %

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 company has a market cap of $688.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.66, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $95.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.04.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued 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 yield of 1.09%. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $2,689,601.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 189,777 shares of company stock valued at $18,001,116 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.