Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 0.4% – Here’s Why

by · The Markets Daily

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT – Get Free Report)’s stock price rose 0.4% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $85.18 and last traded at $84.01. Approximately 3,947,724 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 16,733,479 shares. The stock had previously closed at $83.68.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $71.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $83.00 price objective (up previously from $81.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.89.

Read Our Latest Analysis on WMT

Walmart Stock Performance

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 $670.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $80.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.67.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Free Report) last announced 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 value 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. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the company’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $47,245,498,149.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Investment Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 1.4% during the third quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 9,413 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $760,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.6% during the third quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC now owns 21,839 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,763,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.1% in the third quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 6,677 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $539,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 6,987 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $564,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

(Get Free Report)

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.

Recommended Stories