Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.1% – Here’s What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price was down 0.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $90.36 and last traded at $90.45. Approximately 1,801,504 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 16,952,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $90.57.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Walmart from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $78.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.69.

Walmart Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $725.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.54. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $89.11 and its 200 day moving average is $79.40.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.51 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,065 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 457,493 shares in the company, valued at $36,915,110.17. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total value of $2,411,175.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,843,929 shares in the company, valued at $318,238,881.91. This trade represents a 0.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 140,412 shares of company stock worth $12,478,116. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fiera Capital Corp acquired a new position in Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $222,000. Allegheny Financial Group LTD boosted its holdings in Walmart by 5.5% in the second quarter. Allegheny Financial Group LTD now owns 4,681 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its position in Walmart by 0.3% in the second quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 366,926 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,845,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 33,258 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,252,000 after buying an additional 1,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp grew its position in shares of Walmart by 6.3% during the second quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 28,319 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,917,000 after acquiring an additional 1,675 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.