Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Sees No Change in Trading Post Analyst Upgrade

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) experienced no price change during trading on Thursday, following an upgrade from KeyCorp, which raised its price target on the stock from $96.00 to $100.00. The firm currently maintains an overweight rating for Walmart. During trading, Walmart reached a high of $95.72 before finally closing at $94.99. Notably, 2,428,839 shares were traded during this period, marking an 86% decline from the average session volume of 16,869,299 shares. The stock had ended the previous day at $94.96.

Analyst Opinions on Walmart

Other analysts have recently shared their insights on Walmart as well. For instance, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target for Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00, awarding it an "overweight" rating in a note dated August 16. Truist Financial raised their target price from $89.00 to $98.00, also giving the stock a "buy" rating in a November report. Furthermore, on September 23, Redburn Atlantic elevated Walmart to a "strong-buy" status. Additionally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target from $98.00 to $102.00 while assigning an "outperform" rating on November 20. Guggenheim similarly boosted their target from $90.00 to $100.00 and issued a "buy" rating on the same date. Currently, two analysts have rated the stock as a hold, while twenty-nine have given it a buy rating, and one has issued a strong buy rating. According to MarketBeat data, Walmart holds an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $92.40.

Insider Selling Activity

In related news, Walmart’s Executive Vice President, John D. Rainey, sold 3,000 shares of the company on December 2 at an average price of $92.47, totaling around $277,410. After this transaction, he retains 375,165 shares valued at approximately $34.69 million. This sale represented a 0.79% reduction in his shareholding. Another notable transaction occurred on September 17, when major shareholder S. Robson Walton sold 1,804,000 shares at an average price of $79.18 for a total of about $142.84 million. Post-sale, he holds approximately 605.98 million shares valued at around $48 billion, indicating a 0.30% decrease in ownership. In the latest quarter, insiders sold a total of 2,309,091 shares worth $183.38 million, collectively holding 45.58% of the company's shares.

Institutional Investments in Walmart

Recent transactions indicate that several hedge funds and institutional investors have been actively adjusting their stakes in Walmart. For instance, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake by 3.3% during the third quarter, now owning 87,617,409 shares valued at about $7.05 billion. FMR LLC also raised its position by 12.9%, owning 63,135,639 shares worth $5.10 billion after acquiring over 7.2 million additional shares. Similarly, Fisher Asset Management lifted its holdings in Walmart by 4.6%, now controlling 47,659,844 shares valued at approximately $3.85 billion. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its investments by 3.7%, owning 41,501,782 shares worth about $3.39 billion. As of the latest reports, institutional investors own around 26.76% of Walmart's shares.

Walmart's Price and Financial Ratios

Currently, Walmart boasts a market capitalization of $763.09 billion, with a PE ratio of 38.98 and a P/E/G ratio of 4.49. The stock has a beta of 0.54, a fifty-day moving average price of $85.56, and a 200-day moving average price of $76.62. Financially, Walmart's quick ratio stands at 0.23, its current ratio at 0.85, and the debt-to-equity ratio at 0.42.

Most Recent Earnings Report

Walmart last reported its quarterly earnings on November 19, providing an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.58, exceeding the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The company’s revenue for the quarter was $169.59 billion, surpassing the expected $167.69 billion. Walmart's net margin stood at 2.92%, and the return on equity (ROE) was 21.78%. Revenue saw a year-over-year increase of 5.5%, compared to $0.51 EPS in the same quarter last year. Analysts are forecasting an EPS of 2.47 for Walmart in the current fiscal year.

Overview of Walmart Inc.

Walmart Inc. operates as a global retail leader, engaging in retail, wholesale, and eCommerce across various platforms. The company's operations are segmented into Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. Walmart manages supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash-and-carry stores, and discount stores under various Walmart brands. Additionally, it oversees eCommerce sites including walmart.com along with mobile commerce applications.

Walmart, stocks, finance