Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 1.2% Higher

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price shot up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $59.70 and last traded at $59.58. 5,750,834 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 18,507,141 shares. The stock had previously closed at $58.85.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $68.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 19th. Finally, Stifel Europe lifted their target price on Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a report on Friday, February 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.75.

Walmart Trading Up 1.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $482.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.49. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $60.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.92.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a $0.2075 dividend. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. 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 related news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was 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 directly owns 656,395,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,582,913,441.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 345,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.93, for a total value of $21,020,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 652,044,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,729,056,822.73. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 2,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.78, for a total transaction of $117,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 656,395,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,582,913,441.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 29,016,140 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,868,391. Insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $3,674,652,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Walmart by 183.0% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 29,172,985 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,755,339,000 after buying an additional 18,865,484 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in shares of Walmart by 212.6% in the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 14,035,473 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $844,514,000 after acquiring an additional 9,544,958 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 184.1% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 12,567,533 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $756,188,000 after acquiring an additional 8,144,393 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 199.3% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 7,639,240 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $459,653,000 after acquiring an additional 5,087,119 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.