Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 2.5% Higher Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) rose 2.5% on Friday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $99.19 and last traded at $98.77. Approximately 10,122,877 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 20,978,643 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.35.

The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 39.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Walmart from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,607,751.66. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Operose Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $786.18 billion, a PE ratio of 40.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $91.19 and a 200-day moving average of $92.40.

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.