Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 1.2% – What’s Next?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price traded down 1.2% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $102.77 and last traded at $102.77. 6,387,563 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 14,646,182 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.04.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.87.

Walmart Stock Down 6.5 %

The company’s 50-day moving average is $95.56 and its 200 day moving average is $86.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $781.02 billion, a PE ratio of 39.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. This is a boost from Walmart’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.06%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 5,446 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $91.81 per share, with a total value of $499,997.26. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,805 shares in the company, valued at $716,577.05. This represents a 230.86 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 176,777 shares of company stock worth $16,570,112 over the last quarter. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Hedge funds 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 worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. 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.