Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.1%

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price dropped 0.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $70.24 and last traded at $70.32. Approximately 1,238,672 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 93% from the average daily volume of 17,278,047 shares. The stock had previously closed at $70.38.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Walmart from $64.33 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Walmart from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on Walmart from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.60.

Walmart Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $563.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.04, a PEG ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $67.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.57.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.57 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 21.57%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total value of $73,610,637.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 647,371,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,092,120,157.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total value of $73,610,637.46. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 647,371,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,092,120,157.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.23, for a total value of $1,899,758.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,989,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $260,236,780.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,498,614 shares of company stock worth $951,441,747 in the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,436,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Rossmore Private Capital lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Avion Wealth grew its stake in Walmart by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 1,014 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $160,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is 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.