Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 1.7% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Walmart's stock experienced a decline of 1.7% during mid-day trading, with shares trading between $100.91 and $101.91, significantly below its prior close of $103.62.
• Analysts have generally rated Walmart positively, with 31 out of 33 assigning a buy rating, and price targets ranging from $105.00 to $117.00, indicating optimism about the company's future performance.
• Walmart declared a dividend of $0.235 per share, with a yield of 90.0%, set to be paid on September 2nd, and a current dividend payout ratio of 40.17%.

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) traded down 1.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $100.91 and last traded at $101.91. 6,182,373 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 18,950,438 shares. The stock had previously closed at $103.62.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Mizuho increased their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $106.87.

Walmart Stock Down 2.5%

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $97.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of $806.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.18, a P/E/G ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 90.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.17%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.44, for a total value of $216,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 628,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,851,623.92. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 146,112 shares of company stock valued at $14,080,073 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Whelan Financial grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 8,707 shares of the retailer's stock worth $851,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the retailer's stock worth $470,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,275,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,830 shares of the retailer's stock worth $961,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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