Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.5% on Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) was down 0.5% during trading on Monday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $59.39 and last traded at $59.51. Approximately 2,934,711 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 18,417,289 shares. The stock had previously closed at $59.82.

Specifically, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 345,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 652,044,261 shares of the company's stock, valued at $39,729,056,822.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,076,892 shares in the company, valued at approximately $236,187,943.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 345,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.93, for a total transaction of $21,020,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 652,044,261 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,729,056,822.73. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,045,631 in the last 90 days. 46.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped 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. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 19th. Finally, Stifel Europe lifted their price objective on Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Four investment 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.75.

Walmart Trading Up 0.1 %

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 stock has a market capitalization of $482.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $60.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.06.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.57 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.2075 per share. This represents a $0.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.38%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Partnership Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors 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.