Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 1.7% Higher – Here’s Why

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price rose 1.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $92.65 and last traded at $92.77. Approximately 5,030,668 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 17,724,035 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.19.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Walmart Trading Up 2.3 %

The company’s fifty day moving average is $91.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $90.09. The company has a market cap of $747.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.65, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,859,472.96. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 177,022 shares of company stock valued at $16,618,422. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Company Profile

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.