Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Erste Group Bank

Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart (NYSE:WMT) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Truist Financial upped their price target on Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Walmart from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.20.

Walmart Trading Down 2.2 %

NYSE WMT opened at $85.53 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $95.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.93. Walmart has a 12 month low of $58.56 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $687.13 billion, a PE ratio of 35.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. On average, analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.15, for a total transaction of $1,261,968.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,293,612.80. This trade represents a 2.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $2,689,601.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 185,777 shares of company stock valued at $17,657,316. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triton Wealth Management PLLC increased its position in Walmart by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 27,469 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,288,000 after buying an additional 1,843 shares during the last quarter. 111 Capital purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $1,844,000. Thoma Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $727,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Walmart by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,838,663 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $256,473,000 after buying an additional 521,911 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its position in Walmart by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 11,839 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,070,000 after buying an additional 1,618 shares during the last quarter. 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.