Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty-eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $80.19.

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Guggenheim increased their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $83.00 price target (up previously from $81.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th.

Walmart Stock Up 0.5 %

WMT opened at $80.70 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $649.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.51. Walmart has a one year low of $49.85 and a one year high of $81.02. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $73.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $67.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.61 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total value of $1,991,790.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,960,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $270,851,892.78. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 25,578 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.58, for a total value of $1,728,561.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 390,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,367,350.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total value of $1,991,790.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,960,402 shares in the company, valued at $270,851,892.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,360,248 shares of company stock valued at $959,228,295 in the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 138.3% in the second quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Able Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other 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.