Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 0.5% Higher - What's Next?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) rose 0.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $95.42 and last traded at $95.39. Approximately 3,436,727 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 17,783,185 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.96.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com downgraded Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Three 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Down 0.9 %

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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $90.58 and a 200-day moving average of $90.83. The firm has a market cap of $761.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. 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 0.99%. Walmart's payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 140,533 shares of company stock worth $13,241,740. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock worth $24,532,000 after buying an additional 19,233 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire raised its stake in Walmart by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,786 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Finally, Iowa State Bank grew its position in shares of Walmart by 213.8% during the 4th quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 18,263 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.