Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Up 0.4%

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price was up 0.4% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $59.79 and last traded at $59.74. Approximately 3,799,153 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 18,836,006 shares. The stock had previously closed at $59.53.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Stifel Europe boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $68.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $61.75.

Walmart Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $59.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $485.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.22, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 21.08%. The firm had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.57 earnings per share. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.2075 dividend. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.38%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total transaction of $117,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 656,395,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,582,913,441.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Walmart news, Director S Robson Walton sold 5,816,175 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.95, for a total transaction of $337,066,728.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 677,052,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,237,458,141.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total transaction of $117,560.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 656,395,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,582,913,441.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 29,032,265 shares of company stock valued at $1,696,559,224. 46.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 137,214,807 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $21,944,764,000 after purchasing an additional 751,713 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 24,087,268 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,852,277,000 after acquiring an additional 426,388 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $3,674,652,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Walmart by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,235,920 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,190,194,000 after buying an additional 2,150,351 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 16,873,127 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,698,519,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,729 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Company Profile

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.