Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 1.5% - Here's What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 1.5% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $91.89 and last traded at $95.40. 19,440,001 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 8% from the average session volume of 17,926,469 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.83.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.94.

Walmart Trading Down 0.4%

The company has a market cap of $771.93 billion, a PE ratio of 39.97, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $90.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.19.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total transaction of $1,661,792.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 348,357 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,891,867.94. The trade was a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whelan Financial grew its position in Walmart by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer's stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer's stock worth $924,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. 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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