Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 1.2% – Still a Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price rose 1.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $91.12 and last traded at $91.04. Approximately 2,239,850 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 8,300,335 shares. The stock had previously closed at $90.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays raised their target price on Walmart from $78.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.69.

Walmart Stock Performance

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 market cap of $729.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.26, a PEG ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a fifty day moving average of $89.41 and a 200 day moving average of $79.72.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total transaction of $2,411,175.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,843,929 shares in the company, valued at $318,238,881.91. This trade represents a 0.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 140,412 shares of company stock valued at $12,478,116. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.