Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 0.1% After Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) shares dropped 0.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $98.41 and last traded at $99.27. Approximately 2,616,145 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 17,769,644 shares. The stock had previously closed at $99.33.

Specifically, 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. The trade was a 0.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMT. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.94.

Walmart Trading Down 0.1 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business has a 50 day moving average of $90.62 and a 200-day moving average of $91.70. The stock has a market cap of $789.77 billion, a PE ratio of 40.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors 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 yield of 0.95%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. World Investment Advisors raised its position in shares of Walmart by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock worth $24,532,000 after buying an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,355,000 after acquiring an additional 9,292 shares in the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $359,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

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.