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

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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. 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. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Walmart from $67.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Europe boosted their price target on Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Walmart to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Walmart Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $476.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $59.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly 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 analysts’ expectations of $170.85 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.08% and a net margin of 2.39%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.57 earnings per share. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 43.38%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 199.3% in the 1st quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.