Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 1% - Should You Sell?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s stock price dropped 1% on Monday . The company traded as low as $103.60 and last traded at $104.04. Approximately 14,096,845 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 7% from the average daily volume of 15,084,413 shares. The stock had previously closed at $105.05.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen upped their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Roth Mkm upped their price target on Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $101.87.

Walmart Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $95.62 and a 200-day moving average of $86.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $781.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This is a boost from Walmart's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is 34.06%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 5,446 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $91.81 per share, with a total value of $499,997.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $716,577.05. The trade was a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 176,777 shares of company stock valued at $16,570,112. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brophy Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,072,000. Bank of New Hampshire lifted its holdings in Walmart by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,786 shares during the last quarter. Iowa State Bank lifted its holdings in Walmart by 213.8% during the 4th quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 18,263 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,848,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,107,197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $541,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.