Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.2% on Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares dropped 0.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $67.76 and last traded at $67.92. Approximately 1,689,462 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 17,815,080 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.07.

Specifically, EVP John D. Rainey sold 25,578 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.58, for a total transaction of $1,728,561.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 390,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,367,350.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total value of $177,240.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 521,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,816,896.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 25,578 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.58, for a total value of $1,728,561.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 390,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,367,350.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 14,525,340 shares of company stock valued at $953,023,399. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James upped their price target on Walmart from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Walmart from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $66.00 to $81.00 in a report on Monday, June 10th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on Walmart from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. HSBC increased their target price on Walmart from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Walmart from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.47.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.65. The company has a market capitalization of $548.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.50.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $159.57 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.49 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,436,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 5,806 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $915,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Rossmore Private Capital raised its holdings in Walmart by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Rossmore Private Capital now owns 20,504 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,232,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,377 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,370,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.