Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.3%

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares dropped 0.3% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $70.48 and last traded at $70.57. Approximately 2,217,171 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 17,316,727 shares. The stock had previously closed at $70.75.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on Walmart from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Raymond James upped their target price on Walmart from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Bank of America upped their target price on Walmart from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Walmart from $64.33 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.09.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $566.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.20, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.26.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $159.57 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The company’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total transaction of $1,748,313.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,018,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $241,239,559.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total transaction of $166,661.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 463,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,239,034.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total value of $1,748,313.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,018,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $241,239,559.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,527,738 shares of company stock valued at $953,190,060 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,436,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 5,806 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $915,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Rossmore Private Capital lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Rossmore Private Capital now owns 20,504 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,232,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,377 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,370,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.