Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Hits New 52-Week High at $81.09

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $81.09 and last traded at $80.85, with a volume of 797284 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $80.67.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on WMT. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Tigress Financial raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.19.

Walmart Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $649.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company’s fifty day moving average is $73.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.16.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.61 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total transaction of $166,607.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 459,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,113,904.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 25,578 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.58, for a total value of $1,728,561.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 390,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,367,350.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total value of $166,607.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 459,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,113,904.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,360,248 shares of company stock valued at $959,228,295. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Aveo Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,330 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,972 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,045,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 58.3% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 6,631 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,033,000 after acquiring an additional 2,443 shares in the last quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE increased its stake in Walmart by 81.1% in the fourth quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 4,832 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $762,000 after acquiring an additional 2,164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 106.5% during the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 640 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.