Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 2.1% Following Analyst Upgrade

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) rose 2.1% during trading on Tuesday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $100.00 to $106.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $93.97 and last traded at $93.86. Approximately 3,989,417 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 13,707,559 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.94.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $94.69.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total value of $2,411,175.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,843,929 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $318,238,881.91. The trade was a 0.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total transaction of $246,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 378,165 shares in the company, valued at $31,054,909.80. This trade represents a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 140,177 shares of company stock valued at $12,478,149. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 64,081 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,790,000 after acquiring an additional 671 shares during the last quarter. Insight Inv LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 34,341 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,109,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the period. Stewardship Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Stewardship Advisors LLC now owns 4,455 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $285,000. Finally, Nikulski Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc. now owns 34,387 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,107,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.5 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $91.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $742.18 billion, a PE ratio of 37.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.55.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The business 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%. 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 firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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