Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 1.3% on Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares fell 1.3% during trading on Tuesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $59.16 and last traded at $59.46. 3,086,475 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 18,563,338 shares. The stock had previously closed at $60.24.

Specifically, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total value of $1,748,313.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,018,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $241,239,559.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.72, for a total value of $167,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 530,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,565,756.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total value of $1,748,313.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,018,650 shares in the company, valued at $241,239,559.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 29,019,140 shares of company stock worth $1,696,035,551 in the last ninety days. 46.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on WMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 19th. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Walmart to $66.67 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $68.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Walmart Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $476.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.08, a PEG ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $59.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.86.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $173.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.85 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.08% and a net margin of 2.39%. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.57 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.2075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.38%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 199.3% during the 1st quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the period. Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Company Profile

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.