Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 0.1% Higher

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) shares shot up 0.1% on Friday . The company traded as high as $60.58 and last traded at $60.50. 2,876,384 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 18,171,285 shares. The stock had previously closed at $60.44.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Walmart to $67.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 26th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $68.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Tigress Financial increased their price target on Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.94.

Walmart Trading Up 0.1 %

The business has a 50-day moving average of $60.13 and a 200-day moving average of $56.18. 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 stock has a market cap of $487.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.54, a PEG ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.49.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 company earned $0.57 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $0.2075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.38%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total value of $117,560.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 656,395,261 shares of the company's stock, valued at $38,582,913,441.58. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total transaction of $117,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 656,395,261 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,582,913,441.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director S Robson Walton sold 14,685,327 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.61, for a total value of $860,755,966.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 656,397,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,473,631,458.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over 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 insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter worth $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 199.3% in the 1st quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 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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