Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Sets New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday after Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on the stock from $105.00 to $115.00. Telsey Advisory Group currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $103.36 and last traded at $103.09, with a volume of 2117898 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $102.47.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on WMT. Tigress Financial raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 5,600 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.45, for a total value of $512,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 87,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,993,095.80. This trade represents a 6.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at $25,419,362.80. This represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 175,177 shares of company stock valued at $16,403,728 over the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,800,743 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $142,973,000 after buying an additional 83,376 shares during the period. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in Walmart by 0.4% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 5,345,293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $431,632,000 after acquiring an additional 18,644 shares in the last quarter. Prospect Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $285,000. First United Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.7% during the third quarter. First United Bank & Trust now owns 8,555 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $691,000 after acquiring an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acorn Creek Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $258,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.1 %

The business has a fifty day moving average of $94.45 and a 200-day moving average of $84.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $832.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.53, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.55.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.