Telsey Advisory Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its price target lifted by Telsey Advisory Group from $92.00 to $100.00 in a research note released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Telsey Advisory Group currently has an outperform rating on the retailer’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Walmart from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $82.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Tigress Financial lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $86.98.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $86.60 on Tuesday. Walmart has a twelve month low of $49.85 and a twelve month high of $88.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $81.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $73.34. The company has a market capitalization of $696.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.10, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. This represents a 0.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total value of $1,088,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 593,040 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,198,598.40. This represents a 2.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 138.3% during the 2nd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 253.0% in the first quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 526 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. 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.