Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 0.8% - Still a Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 0.8% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $92.26 and last traded at $92.02. 15,705,502 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 10% from the average session volume of 14,296,278 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several research reports. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup upped their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $94.69.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $745.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.08, a P/E/G ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company's fifty day moving average is $91.47 and its 200 day moving average is $81.79.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total transaction of $2,411,175.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,843,929 shares in the company, valued at $318,238,881.91. This trade represents a 0.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $166,658.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 460,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,956,404.35. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 140,177 shares of company stock worth $12,478,149 in the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA increased its position in Walmart by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 2,879 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 619 shares of the retailer's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 0.5% during the third quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,720 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,915,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,018 shares of the retailer's stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC grew its position in Walmart by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC now owns 13,903 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,256,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

About Walmart

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.