Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.6% – Should You Sell?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) fell 0.6% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $102.06 and last traded at $102.27. 2,640,888 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 14,679,681 shares. The stock had previously closed at $102.92.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on Walmart from $98.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.08.

Walmart Trading Down 0.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $94.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.59. The firm has a market cap of $819.57 billion, a PE ratio of 41.85, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total transaction of $2,663,098.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $348,825,769.20. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 175,177 shares of company stock worth $16,403,728 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Affiance Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $227,000. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 7.3% in the third quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 12,538 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 854 shares in the last quarter. Thomasville National Bank increased its holdings in Walmart by 2.4% in the third quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 54,680 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,415,000 after buying an additional 1,266 shares during the last quarter. Woodstock Corp raised its stake in Walmart by 1.5% during the third quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 137,565 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,108,000 after buying an additional 2,053 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.0% during the third quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 33,943 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,741,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently 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.