Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 1.5% – What’s Next?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) was down 1.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $91.31 and last traded at $91.40. Approximately 2,627,537 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 17,006,006 shares. The stock had previously closed at $92.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup increased their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Walmart from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $93.69.

Walmart Stock Down 1.7 %

The company has a market cap of $732.73 billion, a PE ratio of 37.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.54. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 5,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.45, for a total transaction of $512,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 87,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,993,095.80. This represents a 6.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.47, for a total transaction of $277,410.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 375,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,691,507.55. This trade represents a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 101,163 shares of company stock worth $8,816,049 in the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Legacy Wealth Management LLC MS boosted its stake in Walmart by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Legacy Wealth Management LLC MS now owns 85,424 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,898,000 after purchasing an additional 1,907 shares during the period. 1ST Source Bank raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 65,133 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,259,000 after purchasing an additional 998 shares in the last quarter. Alternative Investment Advisors LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $318,000. DGS Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 19,580 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,581,000 after buying an additional 3,048 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Copley Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth $303,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by 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.