Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 1% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Walmart's stock price increased by 1%, with the last recorded trade at $99.51 and a significant drop in trading volume, down by 80% from its average.
• Analysts have set new price targets for Walmart, with estimates ranging from $105.00 to $111.00, while the consensus target price stands at $106.67.
• Walmart reported earnings of $0.61 per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, and its revenue growth was up 2.5% compared to the previous year.

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 1% on Monday . The company traded as high as $99.68 and last traded at $99.51. Approximately 3,720,085 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 19,048,990 shares. The stock had previously closed at $98.49.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on WMT. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.67.

Walmart Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $794.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $96.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.08.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The business's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total transaction of $1,855,781.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,412,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at $421,737,000.84. This trade represents a 0.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $1,248,712.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 932,313 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $88,700,258.82. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 143,912 shares of company stock worth $13,863,813. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Operose Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 267.8% in the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 98.2% during the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its holdings in Walmart by 432.4% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 55.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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