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

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) were down 0.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $92.23 and last traded at $92.37. Approximately 2,143,548 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 17,028,635 shares. The stock had previously closed at $92.68.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Walmart from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.69.

Walmart Trading Down 1.2 %

The firm has a market cap of $736.34 billion, a PE ratio of 37.62, a P/E/G 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.81.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $36,915,110.17. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total transaction of $2,411,175.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,843,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $318,238,881.91. This trade represents a 0.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 143,412 shares of company stock valued at $12,721,026 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.