Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 0.1% – Here’s Why

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) dropped 0.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $94.57 and last traded at $95.91. Approximately 4,355,510 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 15,499,403 shares. The stock had previously closed at $95.98.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $103.07.

Walmart Trading Down 1.3 %

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $96.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $761.04 billion, a PE ratio of 39.32, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released 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 net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. TFR Capital LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $338,000. Plotkin Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $218,000. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 43,897 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,966,000 after purchasing an additional 1,171 shares during the period. Copley Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 85.4% in the 4th quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,948 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $628,000 after purchasing an additional 3,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,851 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,177 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.