Walmart (NYSE:WMT) PT Lowered to $168.00 at Morgan Stanley

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its target price cut by Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $168.00 in a research note released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the retailer’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler restated an overweight rating and issued a $210.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, September 27th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Walmart from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, August 18th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Walmart from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, August 18th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Walmart from $175.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Walmart from $173.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, August 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $179.00.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $155.30 on Friday. Walmart has a one year low of $136.09 and a one year high of $169.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $162.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.90. The firm has a market cap of $418.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 16th. The retailer reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.53. Walmart had a net margin of 2.55% and a return on equity of 21.20%. The business had revenue of $160.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart will post 6.44 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.37, for a total transaction of $161,370.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 169,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,390,136.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.37, for a total value of $161,370.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 169,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,390,136.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total value of $708,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 269,119 shares in the company, valued at $43,597,278. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,166 shares of company stock valued at $5,066,701 over the last three months. Insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Seven Mile Advisory boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Seven Mile Advisory now owns 3,953 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 6,074 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $955,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group now owns 3,436 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $540,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carmel Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 33.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units 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, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.