Robert W. Baird Issues Positive Forecast for Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its price objective lifted by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $90.00 to $100.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the retailer’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price target indicates a potential upside of 13.22% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $66.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. DA Davidson boosted their price target 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. Finally, 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 note on Monday, October 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.49.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $88.32 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $709.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.25, a PEG ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $81.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.54. Walmart has a 1 year low of $49.85 and a 1 year high of $88.64.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.51 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of 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 represents a 0.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.48, for a total transaction of $232,440.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 384,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,765,104.20. This represents a 0.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth $33,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 138.3% in the second quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.