Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 0.1% Following Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price was down 0.1% during trading on Tuesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $98.41 and last traded at $99.27. Approximately 2,616,145 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 17,769,644 shares. The stock had previously closed at $99.33.

Specifically, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at $61,607,751.66. The trade was a 0.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. KeyCorp upped their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.58.

Walmart Trading Up 0.0 %

The firm has a market cap of $794.74 billion, a PE ratio of 41.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $90.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.60.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 98.2% during the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in 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.