Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 0.2% Higher

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price rose 0.2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $68.25 and last traded at $68.24. Approximately 6,287,545 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 55% from the average daily volume of 14,014,814 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.07.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on WMT. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Walmart from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on Walmart from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Walmart from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $81.00 in a report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $63.33 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.47.

Walmart Stock Up 0.2 %

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $64.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.71. The firm has a market cap of $548.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The company had revenue of $161.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $159.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 3,633,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.80, for a total value of $242,737,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 636,898,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,544,840,574.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 8,791 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.00, for a total transaction of $597,788.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,420,220. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 3,633,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.80, for a total transaction of $242,737,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 636,898,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,544,840,574.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,525,340 shares of company stock worth $953,023,399. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AHL Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 192.1% in the 1st quarter. AHL Investment Management Inc. now owns 24,000 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,444,000 after purchasing an additional 15,785 shares in the last quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 7,816 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,232,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 38.9% during the 4th quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,501 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. Motco lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Motco now owns 58,301 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,191,000 after purchasing an additional 726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sovereign Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 204.3% in the first quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,515 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 4,374 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by 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.