Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Up 1% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Walmart's share price increased by 1% on Friday, closing at $104.19, with a significant drop in trading volume compared to the average.
• Wall Street analysts have primarily rated Walmart as a "Buy," with a consensus rating and an average target price of $106.67.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.61, exceeding the consensus estimate, with revenues of $165.61 billion, marking a year-over-year growth of 2.5%.

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 1% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $104.72 and last traded at $104.19. Approximately 3,003,260 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 19,026,375 shares. The stock had previously closed at $103.12.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group cut their target price on Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. KeyCorp upped their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $106.67.

Walmart Trading Up 1.0%

The stock has a market cap of $830.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.48, a PEG ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50-day moving average of $97.20 and a 200-day moving average of $95.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $429,896,799.42. This trade represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,252,135. This represents a 2.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 146,112 shares of company stock valued at $14,080,073. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 319.7% during the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 267.8% during 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. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 55.3% in the second quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart by 98.2% in the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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