Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Hits New 12-Month High at $80.75

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $80.75 and last traded at $80.75, with a volume of 29239 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $80.60.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. HSBC upped their price target on Walmart from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Roth Mkm boosted their price target on Walmart from $71.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.99.

Walmart Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $72.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $631.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.65, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.72% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.56 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total value of $313,228,886.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,245,498,149.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total value of $313,228,886.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 611,988,318 shares in the company, valued at $47,245,498,149.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total value of $1,991,790.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,960,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $270,851,892.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,203,360 shares of company stock valued at $788,678,803 over the last three months. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AHL Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 192.1% in the first quarter. AHL Investment Management Inc. now owns 24,000 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,444,000 after buying an additional 15,785 shares during the period. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 38.9% in the 4th quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,501 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. Liberty Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth approximately $270,000. Commerce Bank grew its holdings in Walmart by 189.4% during the first quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 917,625 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $55,213,000 after purchasing an additional 600,521 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 290.7% in the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 270,065 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $16,250,000 after purchasing an additional 200,947 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.