Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Price Target Raised to $89.00

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its target price lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $85.00 to $89.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the retailer’s stock.

WMT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.88.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $90.44 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a market capitalization of $726.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.11, a P/E/G ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.51. The business’s 50-day moving average is $82.12 and its 200-day moving average is $73.75. Walmart has a fifty-two week low of $49.85 and a fifty-two week high of $90.91.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.12, for a total transaction of $246,360.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 378,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,054,909.80. This trade represents a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,375,563 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.96, for a total value of $182,823,328.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 619,646,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,687,998,026.24. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock worth $958,823,647. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 138.3% during the second quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 253.0% in the 1st quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 526 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares in 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.