Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 6.4% After Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price fell 6.4% during trading on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $96.68 and last traded at $97.29. 29,126,897 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 88% from the average session volume of 15,524,046 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.00.

Specifically, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on WMT. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.43.

Walmart Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $760.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.30, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.44.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for 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%. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.44%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. boosted its position in 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 during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.