Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 0.2% - What's Next?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) traded up 0.2% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $97.71 and last traded at $97.44. 3,673,346 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 17,796,722 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.25.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Erste Group Bank lowered Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Performance

The firm's fifty day moving average is $90.50 and its 200 day moving average is $91.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $790.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.96, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total transaction of $2,823,571.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. This represents a 0.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business'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 value 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 approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 169,657 shares of company stock valued at $15,984,929. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 9,896.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $697,029,000 after acquiring an additional 7,860,306 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 37.1% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,289,419,000 after acquiring an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,079,000 after acquiring an additional 3,927,173 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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