Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Up 1.2% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) were up 1.2% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $94.76 and last traded at $94.94. Approximately 3,574,030 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 14,491,119 shares. The stock had previously closed at $93.81.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays upped their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Tigress Financial raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.69.

Walmart Stock Up 1.1 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $92.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.13. 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 firm has a market cap of $761.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total transaction of $2,697,464.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,766,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,852,396.42. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at $52,859,472.96. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 140,177 shares of company stock valued at $12,895,688. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 44.8% during the second quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,726 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 843 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter worth $45,264,000. Arkos Global Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.8% during the second quarter. Arkos Global Advisors now owns 22,184 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,502,000 after acquiring an additional 1,605 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 44,866 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,038,000 after acquiring an additional 5,769 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc acquired a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $270,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.