Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 0.2% – What’s Next?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price traded down 0.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $91.12 and last traded at $91.33. 2,960,103 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 13,001,878 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.53.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on WMT shares. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Melius Research initiated coverage on Walmart in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Walmart from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.49.

Walmart Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $90.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.03. The firm has a market cap of $733.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total transaction of $246,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 378,165 shares in the company, valued at $31,054,909.80. The trade was a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total transaction of $2,411,175.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,843,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $318,238,881.91. This trade represents a 0.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 138,347 shares of company stock worth $12,311,491 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. First United Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. First United Bank & Trust now owns 8,967 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $810,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Trust Co grew its position in Walmart by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Trust Co now owns 19,176 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,733,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003 shares during the last quarter. Aspiriant LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 16,409 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,483,000 after purchasing an additional 1,959 shares in the last quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 147,404 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,395,000 after buying an additional 1,968 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.