Royal Bank of Canada Has Lowered Expectations for Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $109.00 to $107.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the retailer’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 12.99% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on WMT. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.43.

Walmart Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $94.70 on Friday. Walmart has a 1-year low of $57.77 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $760.77 billion, a PE ratio of 39.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a 50-day moving average of $95.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $86.57.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.44, for a total transaction of $2,663,098.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,814,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $348,825,769.20. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $166,658.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares in the company, valued at $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 176,777 shares of company stock worth $16,570,112. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth $26,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.