Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 0.6% on Insider Selling

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) fell 0.6% during trading on Friday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $59.14 and last traded at $59.34. 2,690,783 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 18,464,428 shares. The stock had previously closed at $59.71.

Specifically, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 5,970,066 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.27, for a total transaction of $347,895,646.04. Following the sale, the insider now owns 671,082,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,106,219,344.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total transaction of $117,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 656,395,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,582,913,441.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 5,970,066 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.27, for a total transaction of $347,895,646.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 671,082,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,106,219,344.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock valued at $1,696,045,631. Company insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $67.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Walmart to $66.67 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Walmart from $62.00 to $63.33 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Stifel Europe upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Walmart Stock Up 0.2 %

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $60.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.95. The stock has a market cap of $482.14 billion, a PE ratio of 31.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $170.85 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 21.08%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.57 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.2075 dividend. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.38%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Seven Mile Advisory boosted its position in Walmart by 1.6% during the third quarter. Seven Mile Advisory now owns 3,953 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,436,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 5,806 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $915,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gateway Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 4.1% during the third quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC now owns 1,643 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $263,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is 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.