Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Receives New Coverage from Analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein

Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Walmart (NYSE:WMT) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $95.00 price target on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $66.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.51.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $82.51 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $663.67 billion, a PE ratio of 35.26, a P/E/G ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 0.51. Walmart has a 12 month low of $49.85 and a 12 month high of $83.34. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $78.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.17.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total transaction of $166,607.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 459,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,113,904.08. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 630,501,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,781,873,820.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total transaction of $166,607.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 459,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,113,904.08. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,784,857. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Investment Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $499,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.6% in the third quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC now owns 21,839 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,763,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 6,677 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $539,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co of the South boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 25,647 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,071,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LVZ Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. LVZ Inc. now owns 7,824 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $530,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.