Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 0.8% – Here’s Why

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price traded down 0.8% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $101.48 and last traded at $102.01. 3,584,264 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 14,770,526 shares. The stock had previously closed at $102.85.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.01.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $93.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $812.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.52, a PEG ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 5,446 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $716,577.05. This represents a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 175,177 shares of company stock worth $16,403,728 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $26,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 77.3% during the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.