Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Friday morning.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.45.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $98.99. The company had a trading volume of 5,176,329 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,780,243. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $90.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.60. The stock has a market cap of $791.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart has a twelve month low of $59.39 and a twelve month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Walmart's payout ratio is 39.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.63, for a total value of $2,493,888.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,972,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $340,166,630.71. The trade was a 0.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total transaction of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 133,857 shares of company stock worth $12,444,743. Insiders own 45.58% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Whelan Financial lifted its position in Walmart by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $538,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC raised its position in Walmart by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer's stock worth $924,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Scott & Selber Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer's stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 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.