Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 1.6% on Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) fell 1.6% during trading on Monday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $90.13 and last traded at $90.21. 2,193,243 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 16,982,488 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.66.

Specifically, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value 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 approximately $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen raised their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $78.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.69.

Walmart Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $78.99. The stock has a market cap of $725.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Hoese & Co LLP acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.