Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Walmart from $99.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Three 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.67.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $89.77 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $719.67 billion, a PE ratio of 37.25, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart has a 1 year low of $58.56 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $92.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $89.73.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.66, for a total transaction of $195,052.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 398,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,288,807.84. This trade represents a 0.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 178,852 shares of company stock worth $16,785,080 in the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.