Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its target price upped by investment analysts at Barclays from $90.00 to $98.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the retailer’s stock. Barclays‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 6.93% from the stock’s previous close.

WMT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. DZ Bank cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $91.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America increased their price objective on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $93.95.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $0.84 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $91.65. 13,426,350 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,967,504. Walmart has a 12 month low of $52.58 and a 12 month high of $96.18. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $80.21. The company has a market capitalization of $736.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85.

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

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,065 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.69, for a total value of $166,624.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 457,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,915,110.17. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 5,446 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $91.81 per share, with a total value of $499,997.26. Following the purchase, the director now owns 7,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $716,577.05. This trade represents a 230.86 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 140,412 shares of company stock valued at $12,478,116. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.