Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 0.2% – Here’s Why

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares were down 0.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $91.12 and last traded at $91.33. Approximately 2,960,103 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 13,001,878 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.53.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Walmart from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.08.

Walmart Stock Down 0.3 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $90.56 and a 200-day moving average of $80.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market cap of $732.97 billion, a PE ratio of 37.44, a P/E/G ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.51 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total value of $1,088,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 593,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,198,598.40. The trade was a 2.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total transaction of $2,411,175.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,843,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $318,238,881.91. The trade was a 0.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 138,347 shares of company stock valued at $12,311,491. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 77.3% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.