Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 0.7% – Here’s What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price rose 0.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $92.08 and last traded at $91.97. Approximately 6,054,865 shares were traded 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Melius Research started coverage on Walmart in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. KeyCorp increased their target price on Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.49.

Walmart Stock Up 0.8 %

The firm has a market cap of $739.19 billion, a PE ratio of 37.76, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $91.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.27.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total transaction of $2,411,175.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,843,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $318,238,881.91. This trade represents a 0.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,956,404.35. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 140,177 shares of company stock worth $12,478,149 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Hoese & Co LLP acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.