Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 1.5% - Here's What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 1.5% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $85.91 and last traded at $86.12. 3,910,020 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 15,823,214 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.46.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on WMT. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.17.

Walmart Trading Up 0.1 %

The business's fifty day simple moving average is $95.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $89.12. 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 stock has a market cap of $688.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 189,777 shares of company stock worth $18,001,116. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. M1 Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $701,000. DSG Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,679,000. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $400,000. Triton Wealth Management PLLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 27,469 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,288,000 after buying an additional 1,843 shares during the period. Finally, 111 Capital acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,844,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.