Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 1.2% - What's Next?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) shares were down 1.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $97.60 and last traded at $97.64. Approximately 3,363,121 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 17,758,613 shares. The stock had previously closed at $98.83.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Truist Financial cut their price target on Walmart from $111.00 to $107.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.94.

Walmart Stock Down 0.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $774.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $90.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.91.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,607,751.66. This represents a 0.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

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