Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 0.4% – Here’s What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price shot up 0.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $97.77 and last traded at $97.76. 3,781,327 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 14,821,823 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.69.

Walmart Stock Up 1.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $792.15 billion, a PE ratio of 40.47, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $92.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.79.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 5,446 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $91.81 per share, with a total value of $499,997.26. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $716,577.05. The trade was a 230.86 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total value of $2,663,098.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,814,805 shares of the company’s stock, 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 140,177 shares of company stock valued at $12,895,688. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.