Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Lowered to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Walmart (NYSE:WMT) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, September 5th. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on Walmart from $169.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Walmart from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, November 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Walmart from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, August 18th. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, September 22nd. They issued a buy rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $179.00.

Walmart Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $155.30 on Friday. Walmart has a twelve month low of $136.09 and a twelve month high of $169.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $157.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $418.00 billion, a PE ratio of 25.75, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 16th. The retailer reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.20% and a net margin of 2.55%. The business had revenue of $160.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $159.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart will post 6.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.37, for a total value of $164,370.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 167,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,570,601.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total value of $708,750.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 269,119 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,597,278. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.37, for a total value of $164,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 167,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,570,601.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 31,166 shares of company stock valued at $5,066,701. Insiders own 46.51% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Kampmann Melissa S. acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,243,000. Savoie Capital LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $924,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $71,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its position in Walmart by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 19,583 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning increased its position in Walmart by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 494,961 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $79,159,000 after purchasing an additional 27,254 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 33.18% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units 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, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.