Walmart Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:WMT)

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders purchased 109,632 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 34% compared to the typical volume of 81,708 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $68.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Walmart from $67.00 to $66.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.94.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $60.41. 19,257,241 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,289,781. The company's fifty day moving average is $60.17 and its 200-day moving average is $56.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.83. Walmart has a 52 week low of $48.34 and a 52 week high of $61.65. The firm has a market cap of $486.79 billion, a PE ratio of 31.83, a PEG ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.49.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $170.85 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.08% and a net margin of 2.39%. The firm's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.2075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.38%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 345,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.93, for a total transaction of $21,020,850.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 652,044,261 shares in the company, valued at $39,729,056,822.73. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 345,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.93, for a total value of $21,020,850.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 652,044,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,729,056,822.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 5,970,066 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.27, for a total transaction of $347,895,646.04. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 671,082,588 shares of the company's stock, valued at $39,106,219,344.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,045,631. 46.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Seven Mile Advisory increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Seven Mile Advisory now owns 3,953 shares of the retailer's stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the retailer's stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Walmart by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,436,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 5,806 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $915,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gateway Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.1% in the third quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC now owns 1,643 shares of the retailer's stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.

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