Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Cut to "Hold" at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning.

WMT has been the topic of several other research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $99.00 to $93.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT traded up $2.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $92.81. 25,491,591 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,636,254. Walmart has a 52 week low of $58.56 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $744.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.51, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. 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 business's fifty day moving average price is $92.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $89.88.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 568,626 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080 over the last quarter. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brophy Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,072,000. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $24,532,000 after acquiring an additional 19,233 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire raised its position in Walmart by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,786 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,355,000 after buying an additional 9,292 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.