Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Up 1.1% - Should You Buy?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) rose 1.1% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $95.45 and last traded at $95.43. Approximately 3,453,979 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 18,078,498 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.40.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho raised their price objective 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. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.67.

Walmart Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $97.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.55. The company has a market capitalization of $764.75 billion, a PE ratio of 40.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.68.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The company 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%. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $217,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,421,282. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 142,711 shares of company stock valued at $13,710,319 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Eagle Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 3,861 shares of the retailer's stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock worth $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 36,945 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,338,000 after acquiring an additional 1,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 90,423 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,170,000 after acquiring an additional 5,765 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.