Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.3% – Time to Sell?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares traded down 0.3% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $80.94 and last traded at $81.04. 1,280,824 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 92% from the average session volume of 17,056,021 shares. The stock had previously closed at $81.31.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on WMT shares. Melius Research began coverage on Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $71.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $82.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.51.

Walmart Stock Up 1.5 %

The company has a market capitalization of $669.79 billion, a PE ratio of 35.26, a PEG ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company’s 50 day moving average is $78.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.99.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.04, for a total transaction of $1,063,650.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 606,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,123,611.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,065 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.69, for a total transaction of $166,624.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 457,493 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,915,110.17. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.04, for a total transaction of $1,063,650.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 606,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,123,611.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,267,901. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investment Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.1% during the third quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Walmart by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC now owns 21,839 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,763,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 2.1% in the third quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 6,677 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $539,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Trust Co of the South lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.5% during the third quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 25,647 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,071,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LVZ Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.9% during the second quarter. LVZ Inc. now owns 7,824 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $530,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. 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.