Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Up 0.7% – Should You Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price was up 0.7% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $92.25 and last traded at $91.94. Approximately 3,295,722 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 16,856,260 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.31.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Walmart from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Walmart from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on Walmart from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.88.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $82.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $738.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.73, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,781,873,820.76. This represents a 0.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. This represents a 0.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.5% in the third quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,720 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,915,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Walmart by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,591,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 32,633 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,635,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. CAP Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. CAP Partners LLC now owns 6,054 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Investment Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $499,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.