Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 1.1%

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price dropped 1.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $79.61 and last traded at $79.70. Approximately 4,460,049 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 17,322,848 shares. The stock had previously closed at $80.56.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $71.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.99.

Walmart Stock Down 2.5 %

The company has a market capitalization of $631.24 billion, a PE ratio of 34.18, a PEG ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s 50 day moving average is $72.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total transaction of $1,991,790.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,960,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $270,851,892.78. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 630,501,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total transaction of $1,991,790.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,960,402 shares in the company, valued at $270,851,892.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,203,360 shares of company stock worth $788,678,803. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.