Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 0.1%

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) dropped 0.1% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $59.94 and last traded at $60.11. Approximately 2,137,106 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 18,660,688 shares. The stock had previously closed at $60.16.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on WMT shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Walmart to $66.67 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Walmart to $67.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Stifel Europe raised their price objective on Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Walmart Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $485.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.42, a PEG ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49. The company's 50 day moving average is $59.91 and its 200 day moving average is $55.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors 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 1.38%. Walmart's payout ratio is 43.38%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total transaction 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 $236,187,943.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director S Robson Walton sold 14,685,327 shares of Walmart 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 sale, the director now owns 656,397,261 shares of the company's stock, valued at $38,473,631,458.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company'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 transaction of $1,687,250.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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. Insiders sold a total of 29,019,140 shares of company stock valued at $1,696,035,551 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 46.51% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,065 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $970,000 after purchasing an additional 973 shares in the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 461.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 10,922 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,756,000 after buying an additional 8,976 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 943,509 shares of the retailer's stock worth $150,896,000 after acquiring an additional 17,720 shares in the last quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 22,169 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,545,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the period. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA grew its position in Walmart by 917.9% in the third quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA now owns 16,002 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,559,000 after acquiring an additional 14,430 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, 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.