Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Free Report) had its target price increased by equities research analysts at Oppenheimer from $175.00 to $185.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the retailer’s stock. Oppenheimer’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 9.23% from the company’s previous close.
Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Walmart from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 14th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Walmart from $187.00 to $177.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $168.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $169.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.75.
Walmart Trading Up 0.0 %
NYSE:WMT opened at $169.36 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $159.72 and a 200-day moving average of $160.33. The stock has a market cap of $455.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.09, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.49. Walmart has a 1 year low of $136.09 and a 1 year high of $170.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85.
Walmart shares are scheduled to split on Monday, February 26th. The 3-1 split was announced on Tuesday, January 30th. The newly minted shares will be issued to shareholders after the market closes on Monday, February 26th.
Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 16th. The retailer reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.53. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.20% and a net margin of 2.55%. The company had revenue of $160.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $159.65 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Walmart will post 6.46 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Activity
In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,406,081 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.72, for a total transaction of $379,487,095.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 227,622,943 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,900,690,569.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Walmart news, Director S Robson Walton sold 221 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.80, for a total value of $34,431.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 231,379,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,048,963,492. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,406,081 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.72, for a total value of $379,487,095.32. Following the sale, the insider now owns 227,622,943 shares in the company, valued at $35,900,690,569.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,438,607 shares of company stock valued at $1,008,963,347. 46.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kozak & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 1,490.0% during the third quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 159 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 33.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Walmart Company Profile
Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units 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, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.