Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 2.3% - What's Next?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) dropped 2.3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $96.61 and last traded at $97.04. Approximately 3,328,199 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 17,994,238 shares. The stock had previously closed at $99.35.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.67.

Walmart Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $97.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $754.35 billion, a PE ratio of 40.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The company's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total value of $1,258,031.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 945,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at $90,619,848.90. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock worth $13,710,319. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. TTP Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 1.6% during the second quarter. Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. now owns 26,995 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,639,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 2.5% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 235,000 shares of the retailer's stock worth $22,978,000 after buying an additional 5,689 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its stake in Walmart by 0.6% during the second quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 35,368 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,458,000 after buying an additional 214 shares during the period. Finally, Weatherly Asset Management L. P. grew its stake in Walmart by 7.0% during the second quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. now owns 56,140 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,489,000 after buying an additional 3,696 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.