Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.2% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) were down 0.2% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $80.66 and last traded at $80.76. Approximately 2,457,957 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 17,085,275 shares. The stock had previously closed at $80.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Truist Financial raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $76.00 to $89.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.96.

Walmart Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $77.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.61. The stock has a market cap of $654.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,781,873,820.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 611,988,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,267,901. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at $25,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 138.3% during the second quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 253.0% during the first quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 526 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kozak & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 216.4% during the first quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 503 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.