Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 1.7% Higher - Time to Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) shares rose 1.7% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $92.65 and last traded at $92.77. Approximately 5,030,668 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 17,724,035 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.19.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group cut their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup restated a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Walmart Trading Up 2.2 %

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 $746.93 billion, a PE ratio of 38.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $91.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.33.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares in the company, valued at $76,350,158.55. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on 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 owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 178,782 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,305 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.