Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Up 2.1% on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) were up 2.1% on Tuesday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $100.00 to $106.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $93.97 and last traded at $93.86. Approximately 3,989,417 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 13,707,559 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.94.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on WMT. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.69.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total transaction of $2,411,175.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,843,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $318,238,881.91. The trade was a 0.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 140,177 shares of company stock valued at $12,478,149. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA boosted its position in Walmart by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 2,879 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 22.3% in the fourth quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 619 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,018 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Providence Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 0.3% during the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,591,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $91.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $742.18 billion, a PE ratio of 37.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.55.

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, topping 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 business had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS 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.