Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its target price increased by Morgan Stanley from $89.00 to $100.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the retailer’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Citigroup upped their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Truist Financial upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $76.00 to $89.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.88.

Walmart Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of WMT stock opened at $90.44 on Wednesday. Walmart has a 12-month low of $49.85 and a 12-month high of $90.91. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $82.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company has a market capitalization of $726.98 billion, a PE ratio of 37.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.48, for a total transaction of $232,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 384,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,765,104.20. This trade represents a 0.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total transaction of $1,088,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 593,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,198,598.40. This trade represents a 2.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,823,647. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.5% during the third quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,720 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,915,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 0.3% in the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,591,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 0.4% in the third quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 32,633 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,635,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. CAP Partners LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 2.1% in the third quarter. CAP Partners LLC now owns 6,054 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $489,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Investment Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.