Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Sets New 52-Week High After Insider Buying Activity

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock traded as high as $92.81 and last traded at $92.81, with a volume of 84924 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $92.50.

Specifically, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz bought 5,446 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the purchase, the director now owns 7,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,577.05. This represents a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $88.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Walmart from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.88.

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 firm has a market cap of $746.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.96, a P/E/G ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $83.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $75.04.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,720 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,915,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Walmart by 0.3% in the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,591,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 0.4% during the third quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 32,633 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,635,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. CAP Partners LLC raised its position in Walmart by 2.1% in the third quarter. CAP Partners LLC now owns 6,054 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $489,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Investment Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $499,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Walmart

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.