Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 0.1% – Here’s Why

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price rose 0.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $92.44 and last traded at $91.98. 2,999,419 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 16,845,604 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.88.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Walmart from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two 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.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.88.

Walmart Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The business’s 50-day moving average is $83.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.60. The firm has a market cap of $743.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.75, a P/E/G ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total value of $246,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 378,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,054,909.80. This trade represents a 0.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total value of $1,088,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 593,040 shares in the company, valued at $49,198,598.40. The trade was a 2.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 138.3% in the 2nd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 77.3% during the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hoese & Co LLP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

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.