Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Down 0.2% Following Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price fell 0.2% during trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $67.76 and last traded at $67.92. 1,689,462 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 17,815,080 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.07.

Specifically, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total transaction of $177,240.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 521,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,816,896.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.82, for a total value of $1,944,600.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 144,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,386,389.74. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total transaction of $177,240.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 521,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,816,896.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,525,340 shares of company stock worth $953,023,399. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on WMT. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Walmart from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Raymond James increased their price objective on Walmart from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.47.

Walmart Stock Up 0.2 %

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $64.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.65. The company has a market cap of $548.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 21.57%. The business had revenue of $161.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.49 EPS. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.42 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 WMT. Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 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.