Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Hits New 52-Week High on Insider Buying Activity

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The company traded as high as $92.81 and last traded at $92.81, with a volume of 84924 shares. The stock had previously closed at $92.50.

Specifically, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz bought 5,446 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the completion of 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 acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial upped their target price on Walmart from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $91.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $66.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.88.

Walmart Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $744.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.01, a PEG ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company’s 50-day moving average is $83.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.04.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion during 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Apella Capital LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 7,190 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $503,000 after buying an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. M. Kraus & Co grew its stake in Walmart by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. M. Kraus & Co now owns 6,168 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $418,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 30,175 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,043,000 after buying an additional 3,448 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 113,246 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,667,000 after buying an additional 4,036 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cumberland Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.