Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walmart (NYSE:WMT) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Thursday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.58.

Walmart Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $93.17 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart has a 1-year low of $58.56 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $91.52 and a 200-day moving average of $90.33. The company has a market capitalization of $746.93 billion, a PE ratio of 38.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total value of $2,697,464.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,766,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,852,396.42. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 178,782 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,305 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors 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.