Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 2.2% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) dropped 2.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $91.78 and last traded at $92.57. Approximately 7,742,388 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 15,541,960 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.64.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $103.07.

Walmart Stock Down 3.1 %

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $736.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.04, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 39.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total value of $1,261,968.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This represents a 2.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock worth $17,657,316. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently 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.