Walmart’s (WMT) “Outperform” Rating Reaffirmed at Telsey Advisory Group

Walmart (NYSE:WMT)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reiterated by Telsey Advisory Group in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $115.00 price target on the retailer’s stock. Telsey Advisory Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 19.97% from the company’s previous close.

WMT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.94.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $95.86 on Monday. Walmart has a 12 month low of $59.44 and a 12 month high of $105.30. 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 price of $90.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.16. The stock has a market cap of $766.97 billion, a PE ratio of 39.78, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.95, for a total value of $2,823,571.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,558,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $344,972,046.65. This represents a 0.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $214,214.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 632,718 shares in the company, valued at $61,607,751.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 133,857 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,743. Insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Operose Advisors LLC grew its position in Walmart by 319.7% during the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.