Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 0.9% - Time to Sell?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) shares fell 0.9% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $96.29 and last traded at $96.37. 3,900,124 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 17,774,668 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.20.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on WMT. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. DZ Bank upgraded 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.94.

Walmart Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $90.66 and a 200-day moving average of $92.04.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The business 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 17,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.42, for a total value of $1,661,792.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 348,357 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,891,867.94. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $79,960,000 after buying an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 9,292 shares in the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $359,000. 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.