Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 0.4% - Still a Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) traded up 0.4% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $91.93 and last traded at $90.95. 5,839,148 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 17,534,956 shares. The stock had previously closed at $90.61.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on WMT. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Mizuho started coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Up 2.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of $760.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.38, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $92.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.95.

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Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.83 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total transaction of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $348,852,396.42. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. World Investment Advisors grew its position in Walmart by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock worth $24,532,000 after acquiring an additional 19,233 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. increased 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 worth $79,960,000 after acquiring an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire raised its holdings in Walmart by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,332,000 after buying an additional 5,786 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Finally, Iowa State Bank boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 213.8% during the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,422,000 after buying an additional 18,263 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.