Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 0.7% – Here’s Why

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) dropped 0.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $90.12 and last traded at $90.67. Approximately 3,101,051 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 13,532,687 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.34.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.49.

Walmart Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $90.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $732.69 billion, a PE ratio of 37.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total transaction of $1,088,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 593,040 shares in the company, valued at $49,198,598.40. This trade represents a 2.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 138,347 shares of company stock valued at $12,311,491 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hoese & Co LLP acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.