Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.9% Following Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price dropped 0.9% on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $80.62 and last traded at $80.88. Approximately 2,582,304 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 17,154,010 shares. The stock had previously closed at $81.65.

Specifically, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,065 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.69, for a total transaction of $166,624.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 457,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,915,110.17. This trade 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 hyperlink.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $82.96.

Walmart Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The business has a 50-day moving average of $77.63 and a 200 day moving average of $69.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $653.62 billion, a PE ratio of 34.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $169.30 billion during 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 249 shares during the period. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter worth $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 253.0% in the first quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 526 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the period. Finally, Kozak & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 216.4% during the 1st quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 503 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is 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.