Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 1.6% – Time to Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price was up 1.6% on Monday . The company traded as high as $86.63 and last traded at $86.55. Approximately 6,808,691 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 16,873,539 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.15.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Two research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.17.

Walmart Trading Up 2.4 %

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $89.40. 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 capitalization of $698.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS 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 issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total value of $2,697,464.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares in the company, valued at $348,852,396.42. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 147,528 shares of company stock valued at $14,096,140. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors 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.