Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Reaches New 12-Month High After Earnings Beat

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $63.50 and last traded at $63.50, with a volume of 3118177 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $59.83.

The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 21.08%. The firm had revenue of $161.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $159.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a $0.2075 dividend. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Stifel Europe increased their target price on Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Walmart to $67.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 26th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.97.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total transaction of $1,687,250.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,076,892 shares of the company's stock, valued at $236,187,943.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 10,950 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.33, for a total transaction of $638,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 104,346 shares in the company, valued at $6,086,850. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total value of $1,687,250.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,076,892 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $236,187,943.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,045,631. 46.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 199.3% in the first quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the period. Partnership Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 7.0 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $60.17 and a 200-day moving average of $56.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $515.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.13, a PEG ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.49.

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.