Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 1.1% on Insider Selling

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) were down 1.1% on Thursday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $97.85 and last traded at $98.24. Approximately 3,728,160 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 17,834,055 shares. The stock had previously closed at $99.35.

Specifically, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 now directly owns 630,518 shares in the company, valued at $62,421,282. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $105.16.

Walmart Stock Down 1.5%

The business's 50 day moving average is $94.53 and its 200-day moving average is $93.76. The stock has a market cap of $782.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.59, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $5,737,355,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 1st quarter worth about $2,532,331,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $697,029,000 after buying an additional 7,860,306 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 33,292,749 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,922,770,000 after buying an additional 7,706,201 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is 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.