DZ Bank Upgrades Walmart (NYSE:WMT) to “Buy”

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) was upgraded by equities research analysts at DZ Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a $110.00 price target on the retailer’s stock. DZ Bank’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 14.45% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $113.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.07.

Walmart Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $96.11 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $772.10 billion, a PE ratio of 39.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $95.70 and its 200 day moving average is $87.17. Walmart has a 1 year low of $58.20 and a 1 year high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. The trade was a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total value of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 566,794 shares in the company, valued at $52,485,124.40. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 146,528 shares of company stock valued at $13,849,185 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Yoffe Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,688,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $185,000. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $1,323,000. SWAN Capital LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 137.8% during the 4th quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $125,000 after acquiring an additional 802 shares during the period. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $1,405,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.