Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-one analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-eight have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $102.43.

WMT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Walmart from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday.

Walmart Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of WMT stock opened at $94.70 on Monday. Walmart has a 1 year low of $57.77 and a 1 year high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85. The business’s fifty day moving average is $95.63 and its 200-day moving average is $86.44. The stock has a market cap of $760.77 billion, a PE ratio of 38.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.83 billion. Equities analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.02%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This trade represents a 0.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.80, for a total value of $3,754,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 176,777 shares of company stock worth $16,570,112. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. 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.