Walmart (NYSE:WMT) PT Lowered to $168.00 at Morgan Stanley

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its target price reduced by Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $168.00 in a research report released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on WMT. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $166.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Friday, August 18th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $175.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, September 8th. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $169.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 14th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $174.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, August 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $179.00.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $155.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $162.03 and a 200-day moving average of $157.90. The company has a market cap of $418.00 billion, a PE ratio of 25.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart has a one year low of $136.09 and a one year high of $169.94.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 16th. The retailer reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.53. The company had revenue of $160.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.65 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.20% and a net margin of 2.55%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart will post 6.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.37, for a total value of $161,370.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 169,735 shares in the company, valued at $27,390,136.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.37, for a total value of $161,370.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 169,735 shares in the company, valued at $27,390,136.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total transaction of $708,750.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 269,119 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,597,278. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,166 shares of company stock worth $5,066,701. 46.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 7.8% in the second quarter. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,071 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. LMG Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.3% in the second quarter. LMG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,651 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,476,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares during the last quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 0.7% in the second quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 51,561 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,104,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the period. WJ Interests LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the second quarter worth approximately $247,000. Finally, Legacy Capital Group California Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 15.0% in the second quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. now owns 7,065 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,111,000 after acquiring an additional 924 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 33.18% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units 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, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.