Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Up 1.2% - Time to Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) traded up 1.2% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $91.12 and last traded at $91.04. 2,239,850 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 8,300,335 shares. The stock had previously closed at $90.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on WMT. Citigroup boosted their target price on Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Walmart from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $93.69.

Walmart Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $89.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $79.47. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $729.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.26, a PEG ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.54.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.79, for a total value 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 represents a 0.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,485,124.40. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 140,412 shares of company stock worth $12,478,116. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $222,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9.1% in the second quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 57,580 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,899,000 after buying an additional 4,804 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 10.3% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 30,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,062,000 after acquiring an additional 2,853 shares in the last quarter. Gries Financial LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 19.6% in the 2nd quarter. Gries Financial LLC now owns 4,445 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pursue Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Pursue Wealth Partners LLC now owns 36,937 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,501,000 after purchasing an additional 2,401 shares during the period. 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.