Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Sets New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $78.00 to $90.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $90.96 and last traded at $90.96, with a volume of 110507 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $90.44.

WMT has been the topic of several other reports. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Melius Research initiated coverage on Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.88.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total transaction of $246,360.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 378,165 shares in the company, valued at $31,054,909.80. This trade represents a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total value of $1,088,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 593,040 shares in the company, 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. 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

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. WFA Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 201.0% in the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 2,092 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 1,397 shares during the last quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp increased its position in Walmart by 165.4% in the 1st quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp now owns 270,147 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $16,255,000 after acquiring an additional 168,346 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 180.7% during the 1st quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 93,833 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,646,000 after acquiring an additional 60,408 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 248.0% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 732,829 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $44,091,000 after purchasing an additional 522,238 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $82.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.36. The firm has a market cap of $733.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. 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 company posted $0.51 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.