Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 0.5%

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) were up 0.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $75.58 and last traded at $74.94. Approximately 4,735,501 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 17,518,164 shares. The stock had previously closed at $74.54.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMT. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Walmart from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Walmart from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Walmart from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Walmart from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.57.

Walmart Stock Up 0.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $69.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.68. The company has a market cap of $602.54 billion, a PE ratio of 32.07, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.50.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total value of $73,610,637.46. Following the sale, the insider now owns 647,371,888 shares in the company, valued at $42,092,120,157.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Walmart news, Director S Robson Walton sold 933,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.92, for a total transaction of $60,570,360.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 642,016,611 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,679,718,386.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,132,123 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.02, for a total transaction of $73,610,637.46. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 647,371,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,092,120,157.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 10,970,613 shares of company stock valued at $723,987,410. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 11.2% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 164,143 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,114,000 after purchasing an additional 16,545 shares during the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $283,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 149.3% in the 2nd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 258,248 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $17,486,000 after acquiring an additional 154,641 shares during the last quarter. Traction Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth $208,000. Finally, Regal Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 84,178 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,700,000 after acquiring an additional 4,564 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.