Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 0.3% After Insider Selling

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) traded down 0.3% during trading on Thursday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $95.91 and last traded at $96.14. 2,830,932 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 20,931,342 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.43.

Specifically, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,064,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.75, for a total value of $387,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,092,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,695,021.25. The trade was a 0.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,778 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.77, for a total value of $166,723.06. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 652,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,207,148.49. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Two equities research 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 data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.94.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $767.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.81, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $92.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.82.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $24,532,000 after buying an additional 19,233 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $79,960,000 after buying an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,355,000 after buying an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Cushing Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $359,000. 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.