Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 0.7% - Still a Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) shares were up 0.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $92.08 and last traded at $91.97. Approximately 6,054,865 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 13,731,502 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.30.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America increased their price target on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. 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, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $94.49.

Walmart Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $739.19 billion, a PE ratio of 37.76, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $91.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.10.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total transaction of $1,088,850.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 593,040 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,198,598.40. This represents a 2.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 5,446 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $91.81 per share, with a total value of $499,997.26. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $716,577.05. This represents a 230.86 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 140,177 shares of company stock valued at $12,478,149. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brophy Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,072,000. Bank of New Hampshire grew its position in shares of Walmart by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 47,949 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,332,000 after buying an additional 5,786 shares in the last quarter. Iowa State Bank increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 213.8% during the fourth quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 26,807 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,422,000 after buying an additional 18,263 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 4.6% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 47,659,844 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,848,533,000 after acquiring an additional 2,107,197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $541,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

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.