Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Given New $115.00 Price Target at Robert W. Baird

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its price objective boosted by Robert W. Baird from $100.00 to $115.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the retailer’s stock.

WMT has been the subject of several other research reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Walmart from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $101.87.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $97.22 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $781.02 billion, a PE ratio of 39.90, a PEG ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $95.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.25. Walmart has a twelve month low of $57.60 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. This is a boost from Walmart’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.06%.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 257,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,419,362.80. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz bought 5,446 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $91.81 per share, with a total value of $499,997.26. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $716,577.05. The trade was a 230.86 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 176,777 shares of company stock worth $16,570,112 over the last 90 days. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1,007.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is 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.