Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 0.5% Higher

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s share price was up 0.5% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $68.81 and last traded at $68.57. Approximately 2,228,469 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 17,729,232 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.24.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Walmart from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $81.00 in a report on Monday, June 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 11th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 6th. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price target on Walmart from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.47.

Walmart Trading Up 0.9 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $553.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $64.73 and its 200-day moving average is $59.77.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.08. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.57% and a net margin of 2.88%. The company had revenue of $161.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total transaction of $177,240.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 521,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,816,896.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total transaction of $177,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 521,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,816,896.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total transaction of $1,748,313.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,018,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $241,239,559.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,525,340 shares of company stock valued at $953,023,399 in the last quarter. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 199.3% in the 1st quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. 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.