Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 0% on Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) was down 0% on Tuesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $97.71 and last traded at $98.08. Approximately 3,216,731 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 17,798,075 shares. The stock had previously closed at $98.12.

Specifically, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,778 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.77, for a total transaction of $166,723.06. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 652,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,207,148.49. The trade was a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. DZ Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.94.

Walmart Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $91.72 and its 200-day moving average is $92.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $782.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.59, a PEG 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.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 40.17%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 319.7% during the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.