Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 0.2% – Time to Sell?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares were down 0.2% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $90.06 and last traded at $90.35. Approximately 11,259,819 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 34% from the average daily volume of 16,991,166 shares. The stock had previously closed at $90.57.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Melius Research initiated coverage on Walmart in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $93.69.

Walmart Trading Down 0.4 %

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $89.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $79.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $723.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.94, a PEG ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.54.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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 represents a 0.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 140,412 shares of company stock worth $12,478,116. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Brophy Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,072,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,848,533,000 after acquiring an additional 2,107,197 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $541,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,236,769 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,522,369,000 after purchasing an additional 350,881 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 45.0% in the 3rd quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 28,453 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,298,000 after purchasing an additional 8,834 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.