Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 0.6% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) fell 0.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $102.06 and last traded at $102.27. 2,640,888 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 14,679,681 shares. The stock had previously closed at $102.92.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. StockNews.com cut shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. DZ Bank downgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $91.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two research 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, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.08.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $94.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.59. The company has a market capitalization of $819.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.85, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 5,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.45, for a total value of $512,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 87,404 shares in the company, valued at $7,993,095.80. The trade was a 6.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.00, for a total transaction of $1,207,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 579,915 shares in the company, valued at $53,352,180. This trade represents a 2.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 175,177 shares of company stock worth $16,403,728. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.