Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.1% on Insider Selling

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) dropped 0.1% 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 were traded 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 the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 632,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,607,751.66. This represents a 0.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Raymond James cut their price target on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price objective on the stock. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.94.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $774.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.16, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $90.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $91.91.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 9,896.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock worth $697,029,000 after acquiring an additional 7,860,306 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 30.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 33,292,749 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,922,770,000 after acquiring an additional 7,706,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 37.1% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,289,419,000 after purchasing an additional 6,860,189 shares during the period. 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.