Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 0.9%

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) fell 0.9% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $60.16 and last traded at $60.17. 17,535,100 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 0% from the average session volume of 17,550,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $60.72.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 19th. Stifel Europe increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Tigress Financial increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.60.

Walmart Stock Down 0.9 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market capitalization of $484.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a 50-day moving average of $58.14 and a 200-day moving average of $54.91.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.2075 per share. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.93, for a total value of $158,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 497,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,318,718. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total transaction of $117,560.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 656,395,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,582,913,441.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 28,990,016 shares of company stock worth $1,693,978,567. Company insiders own 46.51% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AMI Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.6% in the first quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,269 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,231,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 36.8% during the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 4,820 shares of the retailer's stock worth $718,000 after buying an additional 1,296 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of Walmart by 31.7% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,162 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $173,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 123.9% during the first quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 10,566 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,573,000 after acquiring an additional 5,847 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its stake in Walmart by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 857,839 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $127,749,000 after acquiring an additional 13,985 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units 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, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.