Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 0.7% – Time to Sell?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price traded down 0.7% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $90.12 and last traded at $90.67. 3,101,051 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 13,532,687 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.34.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.49.

Walmart Trading Up 0.8 %

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $91.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $81.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $739.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.76, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total transaction of $2,411,175.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,843,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $318,238,881.91. This trade represents a 0.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 140,177 shares of company stock worth $12,478,149. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FCG Investment Co boosted its holdings in Walmart by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. FCG Investment Co now owns 35,194 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,180,000 after buying an additional 2,415 shares in the last quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 40,497 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,659,000 after acquiring an additional 3,882 shares in the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 26,528 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,397,000 after acquiring an additional 1,784 shares during the period. Red Door Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC now owns 136,850 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $12,364,000 after purchasing an additional 5,783 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Donoghue Forlines LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC now owns 22,500 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,033,000 after purchasing an additional 3,040 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.