Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Receives Outperform Rating from Telsey Advisory Group

Walmart (NYSE:WMT)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reissued by Telsey Advisory Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $92.00 target price on the retailer’s stock. Telsey Advisory Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 8.91% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Walmart from $82.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $66.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.84.

Walmart Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $84.47 on Wednesday. Walmart has a twelve month low of $49.85 and a twelve month high of $85.79. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.53. The firm has a market cap of $678.99 billion, a PE ratio of 44.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 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 business had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at $47,245,498,149.60. This trade represents a 0.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.04, for a total transaction of $1,063,650.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 606,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,123,611.60. The trade was a 2.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Oxbow Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 45.0% in the 3rd quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 28,453 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,298,000 after acquiring an additional 8,834 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 21.9% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 587,001 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $47,400,000 after buying an additional 105,430 shares during the period. Whalerock Point Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 213.5% during the first quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 29,613 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,782,000 after acquiring an additional 20,167 shares during the period. WFA Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 201.0% in the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 2,092 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 1,397 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 14.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,235,504 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $503,517,000 after purchasing an additional 809,352 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.