Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 1.6% - Time to Buy?

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial upped their price target on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. 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. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.17.

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Walmart Stock Up 1.2 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market cap of $720.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.29, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $94.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $89.52.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued 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 1.05%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders sold a total of 176,652 shares of company stock worth $16,590,028 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 14.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $503,517,000 after buying an additional 809,352 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $270,000. PDT Partners LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $538,000. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,175 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $418,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 32.8% during the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 67,487 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,450,000 after purchasing an additional 16,683 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

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.