Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 0.7% on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) rose 0.7% during mid-day trading on Monday after Robert W. Baird raised their price target on the stock from $82.00 to $90.00. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $80.39 and last traded at $80.35. Approximately 2,325,413 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 17,380,768 shares. The stock had previously closed at $79.78.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on WMT. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Citigroup raised their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Melius Research began coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.62.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at $47,245,498,149.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,334,670 shares of company stock worth $958,025,027. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $2,924,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 6.5% during the second quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 85,145 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,765,000 after purchasing an additional 5,194 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in Walmart by 24.2% in the 2nd quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 110,054 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,452,000 after purchasing an additional 21,478 shares during the last quarter. Verity & Verity LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 46.6% in the second quarter. Verity & Verity LLC now owns 15,205 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,030,000 after purchasing an additional 4,835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Trust increased its position in shares of Walmart by 2.4% during the second quarter. American Trust now owns 10,833 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $734,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of $649.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.71.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.