Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 0.6% - Time to Sell?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) traded down 0.6% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $96.72 and last traded at $97.23. 4,197,543 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 17,804,312 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.80.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on WMT. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $104.94.

Walmart Stock Down 1.5%

The company has a market capitalization of $770.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $91.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $92.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,778 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.77, for a total value of $166,723.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 652,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,207,148.49. This trade represents a 0.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 134,035 shares of company stock worth $12,445,082. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Walmart by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $24,532,000 after acquiring an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. increased its position in Walmart by 209.7% during the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $79,960,000 after buying an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after buying an additional 9,292 shares in the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $359,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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