Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its price target hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $90.00 to $96.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the retailer’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $66.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $66.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Melius Research began coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.88.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $90.44 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $726.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.07, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.51. Walmart has a 1-year low of $49.85 and a 1-year high of $90.91.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.48, for a total value of $232,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 384,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,765,104.20. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total value of $313,228,886.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at $47,245,498,149.60. This trade represents a 0.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,823,647 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sculati Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 25.9% in the third quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,454 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $683,000 after acquiring an additional 1,740 shares during the last quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,819,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 3.6% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 88,188 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,121,000 after acquiring an additional 3,043 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $504,000. Finally, Aldebaran Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 22,250 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,797,000 after acquiring an additional 2,191 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.