Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Up 0.3% - Here's What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 0.3% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $99.46 and last traded at $99.06. 2,863,980 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 17,793,253 shares. The stock had previously closed at $98.75.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Up 0.8 %

The company's 50-day simple moving average is $90.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $796.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.32, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,558,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,972,046.65. The trade was a 0.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total transaction of $343,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 888,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,350,158.55. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 131,657 shares of company stock worth $12,230,529 in the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer's stock worth $24,532,000 after purchasing an additional 19,233 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. grew 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 acquiring an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire increased its position in shares of Walmart by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,332,000 after acquiring an additional 5,786 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.8% during 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. Finally, Iowa State Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 213.8% in the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 18,263 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.