Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 0.8% Higher - Should You Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 0.8% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $98.71 and last traded at $98.25. Approximately 2,775,717 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 14,567,879 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.50.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $94.69.

Walmart Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $792.15 billion, a PE ratio of 40.47, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $92.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $82.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company's revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.96, for a total transaction of $1,220,100.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total transaction of $2,663,098.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,814,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $348,825,769.20. The trade was a 0.76 % 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 in the last three months. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $2,185,000. Vivid Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 51.8% in the fourth quarter. Vivid Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,261 shares of the retailer's stock worth $837,000 after buying an additional 3,161 shares in the last quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,047,000. Lord & Richards Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $716,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,460 shares of the retailer's stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. 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.

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