Walmart's (WMT) "Outperform" Rating Reaffirmed at Telsey Advisory Group

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reaffirmed by analysts at Telsey Advisory Group in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $68.00 target price on the retailer's stock. Telsey Advisory Group's target price indicates a potential upside of 12.43% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on WMT. Stifel Nicolaus restated a "hold" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Stifel Europe boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $56.33 to $58.33 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $54.33 to $58.67 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 19th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Walmart to $67.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Walmart to $66.67 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.94.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $60.48. 12,320,061 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,279,162. Walmart has a 52-week low of $48.34 and a 52-week high of $61.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $487.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $56.18.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 21.08%. The business had revenue of $173.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.57 EPS. Walmart's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, Director S Robson Walton sold 5,816,175 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.95, for a total transaction of $337,066,728.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 677,052,654 shares of the company's stock, valued at $39,237,458,141.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director S Robson Walton sold 5,816,175 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.95, for a total transaction of $337,066,728.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 677,052,654 shares in the company, valued at $39,237,458,141.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total transaction of $1,687,250.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,076,892 shares in the company, valued at approximately $236,187,943.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,019,140 shares of company stock valued at $1,696,045,631. Insiders own 46.51% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Seven Mile Advisory lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Seven Mile Advisory now owns 3,953 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $632,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the retailer's stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,436,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 5,806 shares of the retailer's stock worth $915,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gateway Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 4.1% in the third quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC now owns 1,643 shares of the retailer's stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.