Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 1.2% Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) were up 1.2% during trading on Friday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $96.00 to $100.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $93.39 and last traded at $92.87. Approximately 5,550,280 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 11,591,224 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.80.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Melius Research assumed coverage on Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $94.08.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 5,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.45, for a total value of $512,120.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 87,404 shares in the company, valued at $7,993,095.80. The trade was a 6.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 140,412 shares of company stock valued at $12,478,116 over the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 77.3% during the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Hoese & Co LLP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Price Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average price is $90.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.45. The company has a market capitalization of $747.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

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.