Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 0.2% Following Analyst Upgrade

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) was up 0.2% on Tuesday after Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on the stock from $69.00 to $71.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $67.72 and last traded at $67.61. Approximately 2,046,895 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 17,880,943 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.48.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Walmart from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Walmart from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Walmart from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 25,578 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.58, for a total transaction of $1,728,561.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 390,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,367,350.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total transaction of $1,748,313.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,018,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $241,239,559.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 25,578 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 390,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,367,350.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,525,340 shares of company stock worth $953,023,399. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 199.3% in the first quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Partnership Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.2 %

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $64.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $548.89 billion, a PE ratio of 29.20, a PEG ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.50.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The company had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.