Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 1% - Should You Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) rose 1% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $86.26 and last traded at $84.03. Approximately 13,770,377 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 20% from the average daily volume of 17,168,483 shares. The stock had previously closed at $83.19.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 28th. Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Three equities research analysts have 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Up 2.4 %

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $92.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $89.95. 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 market cap of $744.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.51, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total transaction of $2,493,888.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 178,852 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,080 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 9,896.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock worth $697,029,000 after purchasing an additional 7,860,306 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 37.1% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,289,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings 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 valued at $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 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.