Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Upgraded at DZ Bank

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) was upgraded by investment analysts at DZ Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The brokerage presently has a $110.00 target price on the retailer’s stock. DZ Bank’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 17.48% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on WMT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $103.07.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $93.64 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $752.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. Walmart has a twelve month low of $58.18 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a 50 day moving average of $95.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $86.89.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 5,446 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $91.81 per share, with a total value of $499,997.26. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $716,577.05. This trade represents a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 194,377 shares of company stock valued at $18,231,904 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.