Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 0.8% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price rose 0.8% during mid-day trading on Monday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $97.00 to $112.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $102.33 and last traded at $101.96. Approximately 3,798,655 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 14,690,576 shares. The stock had previously closed at $101.15.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Walmart from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.95.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total transaction of $2,663,098.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,814,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,825,769.20. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total transaction of $3,754,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 175,177 shares of company stock valued at $16,403,728. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $242,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $5,258,000. Impact Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $985,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 2,830,529 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $255,738,000 after buying an additional 30,778 shares during the period. Finally, DecisionMap Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $860,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $817.92 billion, a PE ratio of 41.82, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $84.36.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share 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.