Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Receives $82.96 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) has earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the thirty ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-eight have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $82.96.

Several brokerages have commented on WMT. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. StockNews.com raised Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.61, for a total transaction of $2,056,445.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,931,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $277,589,163.61. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.61, for a total value of $2,056,445.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,931,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $277,589,163.61. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,065 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.69, for a total transaction of $166,624.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 457,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,915,110.17. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,267,901. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Investment Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC now owns 21,839 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,763,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 6,677 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $539,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co of the South raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.5% in the third quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 25,647 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,071,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LVZ Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.9% during the second quarter. LVZ Inc. now owns 7,824 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $530,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $80.90 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $650.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.51. Walmart has a 52-week low of $49.85 and a 52-week high of $81.82. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $77.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.39.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. 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 firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.44 EPS 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.