Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 1.2% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price shot up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on the stock from $89.00 to $94.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $95.24 and last traded at $94.95. 3,114,885 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 16,875,555 shares. The stock had previously closed at $93.83.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on WMT. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Walmart from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Walmart from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Walmart from $78.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.27.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.47, for a total transaction of $277,410.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 375,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,691,507.55. This trade represents a 0.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total value of $166,607.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 459,558 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,113,904.08. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,243,091 shares of company stock worth $257,591,179 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its position in 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 period. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 77.3% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company has a market cap of $758.57 billion, a PE ratio of 38.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.54. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $85.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.28.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

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.