Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 2.6% Higher – Time to Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares were up 2.6% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $92.68 and last traded at $92.68. Approximately 8,992,427 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 47% from the average daily volume of 17,090,088 shares. The stock had previously closed at $90.35.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.69.

Walmart Stock Up 2.6 %

The business’s 50-day moving average price is $87.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $744.53 billion, a PE ratio of 38.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz purchased 5,446 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 7,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $716,577.05. This trade represents a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.64, for a total transaction of $2,348,559.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,873,053 shares in the company, valued at $312,322,993.92. The trade was a 0.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 143,412 shares of company stock valued at $12,228,259 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Hoese & Co LLP bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.