Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Up 1.2% - What's Next?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) shares were up 1.2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $94.76 and last traded at $94.94. Approximately 3,574,030 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 14,491,119 shares. The stock had previously closed at $93.81.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. 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. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $94.69.

Walmart Stock Up 1.1 %

The firm's 50 day moving average price is $91.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $761.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.92, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 analysts' expectations of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total value of $1,220,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 568,626 shares in the company, valued at $52,859,472.96. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP David Chojnowski sold 5,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.45, for a total transaction of $512,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 87,404 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,993,095.80. This trade represents a 6.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,177 shares of company stock worth $12,895,688 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA lifted its holdings in Walmart by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 2,879 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 619 shares of the retailer's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,720 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,915,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management grew its stake in Walmart by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 12,609 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,139,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,018 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.