Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 1.8% – Here’s Why

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) traded up 1.8% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $97.91 and last traded at $97.90. 4,830,954 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 17,298,980 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.20.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on WMT shares. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $103.07.

Walmart Trading Up 0.7 %

The stock has a market cap of $778.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.20, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $95.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.17. 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, beating 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 analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 146,528 shares of company stock worth $13,849,185. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 77.3% during the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.