Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Downgraded to Buy Rating by StockNews.com

by · The Markets Daily

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

WMT has been the topic of several other research reports. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Walmart from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $91.51.

View Our Latest Research Report on WMT

Walmart Trading Up 0.7 %

WMT traded up $0.58 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $87.18. 17,348,499 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,843,436. Walmart has a one year low of $49.85 and a one year high of $88.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $700.77 billion, a PE ratio of 45.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $81.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.43.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 630,501,148 shares in the company, valued at $48,781,873,820.76. The trade was a 0.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total value of $246,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 378,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,054,909.80. This represents a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 9,052 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $731,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $541,000. Second Line Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.0% in the third quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 46,450 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,751,000 after purchasing an additional 2,614 shares in the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 140.1% during the 3rd quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 151,115 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $12,203,000 after purchasing an additional 88,177 shares during the period. Finally, Soltis Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 31.9% during the 3rd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,716 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $946,000 after buying an additional 2,831 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

Featured Articles