Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Price Target Raised to $106.00 at Morgan Stanley

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the retailer's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective points to a potential upside of 13.92% from the company's previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Melius Research started coverage on Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $94.69.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT traded up $1.11 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $93.05. 23,228,988 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,407,088. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85. Walmart has a 1 year low of $53.44 and a 1 year high of $96.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $747.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $91.31 and a 200 day moving average of $81.63.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total value of $2,411,175.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,843,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $318,238,881.91. This trade represents a 0.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 460,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 140,177 shares of company stock worth $12,478,149 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in 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 during the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. 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.