Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Sets New 1-Year High Following Insider Buying Activity

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Monday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock traded as high as $92.81 and last traded at $92.81, with a volume of 84924 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $92.50.

Specifically, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz purchased 5,446 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 7,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $716,577.05. This trade represents a 230.86 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $78.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $92.11.

Walmart Trading Up 0.9 %

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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.44. The firm has a market cap of $751.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 0.54.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,720 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,915,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,591,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the third quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 32,633 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,635,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. CAP Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 2.1% during the third quarter. CAP Partners LLC now owns 6,054 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Investment Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Walmart by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.