Walmart Stock Price Up 0.4% After Analyst Upgrade

On Tuesday, shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) saw a modest increase of 0.4% following an upgrade from Evercore ISI, which raised its price target for the stock from $82.00 to $85.00. Currently, Evercore ISI maintains an outperform rating for Walmart. During the trading day, the stock reached a high of $81.44 and recently was priced at $81.10. Around 2,195,765 shares changed hands, which is a significant drop of 87% from the stock's average daily volume of 17,024,691. The previous day’s closing price was $80.81.

Analyst Ratings and Price Targets

Several other analysts have also provided updated ratings on Walmart. Guggenheim recently raised its price target from $75.00 to $81.00, categorizing the stock as a "buy" in a report released on August 16th. Similarly, Roth MKM adjusted its price target from $71.00 to $81.00, also issuing a "buy" recommendation at that time. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an outperform rating with a price target of $80.00 on the same date. Morgan Stanley increased its price target from $75.00 to $82.00, giving the stock an overweight rating. Redburn Atlantic, on September 23rd, upgraded the stock to a "strong-buy" rating. Overall, one analyst has suggested holding the stock, while 29 have assigned buy ratings, and two recommended a strong buy. The consensus rating stands at "Buy" with an average price target of $83.51, according to data from MarketBeat.com.

Insider Trading Activity

In recent insider trading news, Executive Vice President Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,065 shares of Walmart stock on October 15th, at an average selling price of $80.69, contributing to a total transaction value of approximately $166,624.85. After this transaction, he holds 457,493 shares valued at about $36.92 million. Furthermore, prominent shareholder Alice L. Walton sold a substantial block of shares—2,709,163 shares—on September 3rd, with an average price of $77.37, totaling approximately $209.61 million. Post-sale, her holdings remain at around 630.5 million shares valued at around $48.78 billion. Over the past three months, insiders have sold a cumulative 12,337,337 shares valued at nearly $958.27 million, with 45.58% of the stock presently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investment Trends

Hedge funds have been actively adjusting their positions in Walmart. Vanguard Group Inc. significantly increased its stake by 199.4% during the first quarter, now owning 411,745,334 shares worth about $24.77 billion after acquiring an additional 274,229,968 shares. Additionally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake by 181.0%, holding 56,861,234 shares valued at around $3.42 billion. Swiss National Bank also increased its stake by 187.4%, now possessing 13,303,200 shares worth about $800.45 million. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board made notable purchases, lifting its position by 284.0% with 11,122,273 shares valued at roughly $669.23 million. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its holdings by 184.1%, acquiring 12,567,533 shares valued at approximately $756.19 million. Currently, hedge funds and institutional investors own about 26.76% of Walmart's stock.

Walmart Financial Overview

The company maintains a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, with a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages are $78.14 and $69.83, respectively. Walmart's market capitalization stands at $660.62 billion, and its price-to-earnings ratio is 34.71, with a PEG ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.51. In its latest quarterly earnings report released on August 15th, Walmart exceeded analysts' expectations. The retailer announced earnings per share of $0.67, surpassing the predicted $0.65. Walmart reported revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, again exceeding analysts' forecast of $168.56 billion, representing a year-over-year revenue increase of 4.7%. Analysts anticipate that Walmart will achieve earnings per share of 2.44 for the current fiscal year.

Company Profile

Walmart Inc. operates globally in the retail and wholesale sectors, as well as in eCommerce. The company is categorized into three primary segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. Walmart operates various retail formats, including supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, and membership-only warehouse clubs, alongside their online platforms such as walmart.com and mobile applications.

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