Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Upgraded at DZ Bank

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) was upgraded by research analysts at DZ Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The brokerage presently has a $110.00 price target on the retailer’s stock. DZ Bank’s target price indicates a potential upside of 17.48% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on WMT. Citigroup reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.07.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $93.64 on Tuesday. Walmart has a 1 year low of $58.18 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $95.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.89. The company has a market cap of $752.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.85, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total transaction of $2,663,098.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $348,825,769.20. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 194,377 shares of company stock worth $18,231,904 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Garde Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 158.8% during the fourth quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 5,382 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $486,000 after acquiring an additional 3,302 shares during the period. Instrumental Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $223,000. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $5,775,000. Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $925,000. Finally, Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 221,031 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,970,000 after acquiring an additional 3,802 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by 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.