Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.9% on Insider Selling

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) fell 0.9% during trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $80.62 and last traded at $80.88. 2,582,304 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 17,154,010 shares. The stock had previously closed at $81.65.

Specifically, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,065 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.69, for a total value of $166,624.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 457,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,915,110.17. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on WMT. StockNews.com upgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Truist Financial upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $76.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $66.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $82.96.

Walmart Trading Up 0.5 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $654.02 billion, a PE ratio of 34.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a fifty day moving average of $77.63 and a 200-day moving average of $69.39.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Investment Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.6% in the third 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 period. Inspire Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co of the South increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, LVZ Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 1.9% during the second quarter. LVZ Inc. now owns 7,824 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $530,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.