Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 0.7% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares were up 0.7% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $92.25 and last traded at $91.94. Approximately 3,295,722 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 16,856,260 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.31.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $88.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.88.

Walmart Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $83.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $738.55 billion, a PE ratio of 37.71, a PEG ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion during 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%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,375,563 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.96, for a total value of $182,823,328.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 619,646,544 shares in the company, valued at $47,687,998,026.24. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. This represents a 0.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,823,647. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 0.5% during the third quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,720 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,915,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,591,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 32,633 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,635,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. CAP Partners LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. CAP Partners LLC now owns 6,054 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $489,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Investment Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.