Raymond James Has Lowered Expectations for Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price

by · The Cerbat Gem

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by research analysts at Raymond James from $115.00 to $105.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the retailer’s stock. Raymond James’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 15.56% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $91.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.58.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Walmart

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $90.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $92.59 and a 200-day moving average of $89.80. Walmart has a one year low of $58.56 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $728.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.70, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total value of $195,052.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,288,807.84. This represents a 0.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 178,852 shares of company stock valued at $16,785,080. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in Walmart by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,532,000 after buying an additional 19,233 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 209.7% in the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $79,960,000 after acquiring an additional 599,257 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,332,000 after acquiring an additional 5,786 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the period. Finally, Iowa State Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 213.8% during the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 18,263 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Company Profile

(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.

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