Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.3% – Here’s Why

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price traded down 0.3% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $92.94 and last traded at $92.84. 4,021,362 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 14,504,904 shares. The stock had previously closed at $93.08.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. UBS Group lifted their target price on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. DZ Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $91.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.69.

Walmart Trading Down 0.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $745.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $91.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.79.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 140,177 shares of company stock valued at $12,478,149. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter worth $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. increased its stake 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. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter worth $36,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.