Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 1% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shot up 1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $82.00 to $89.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $85.25 and last traded at $85.01. 2,422,683 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 16,682,094 shares. The stock had previously closed at $84.21.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. Redburn Atlantic raised Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $84.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 378,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,054,909.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,823,647. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 253.0% during the 1st quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 526 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $80.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.27. The firm has a market cap of $683.33 billion, a PE ratio of 44.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

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

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.