Guggenheim Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its target price increased by Guggenheim from $90.00 to $100.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Melius Research started coverage on Walmart in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, 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 report on Monday, November 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.88.

Walmart Stock Up 2.3 %

NYSE WMT opened at $90.44 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $82.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.75. Walmart has a one year low of $49.85 and a one year high of $90.91. The firm has a market cap of $726.94 billion, a PE ratio of 37.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.48, for a total transaction of $232,440.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 384,165 shares in the company, valued at $29,765,104.20. This represents a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. The trade was a 0.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 77.3% during the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Hoese & Co LLP acquired a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth about $33,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 138.3% in the 2nd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.