Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 2.4% - Here's Why

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 2.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $94.83 and last traded at $94.62. Approximately 3,309,397 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 17,781,726 shares. The stock had previously closed at $92.41.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. 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 research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho started coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Walmart Trading Down 0.9 %

The stock's fifty day moving average is $90.58 and its 200 day moving average is $90.76. The stock has a market cap of $761.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.43, a P/E/G 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share 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, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 140,533 shares of company stock worth $13,241,740. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $5,737,355,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,306,627,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 9,896.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock worth $697,029,000 after buying an additional 7,860,306 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 37.1% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 25,339,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,289,419,000 after acquiring an additional 6,860,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Walmart by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,020,800 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,079,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927,173 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently 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.