Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Director Purchases $499,997.26 in Stock

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 5,446 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $91.81 per share, for a total transaction of $499,997.26. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 7,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,577.05. The trade was a 230.86 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Walmart Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded up $0.62 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $92.50. The stock had a trading volume of 11,041,178 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,881,605. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $49.85 and a 12 month high of $92.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $83.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.82. The company has a market cap of $743.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.96, a PEG ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The business had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.88.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 188.6% during the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 352,724 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,223,000 after buying an additional 230,511 shares in the last quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $295,000. Railway Pension Investments Ltd raised its stake in Walmart by 187.4% in the first quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 2,223,239 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $133,772,000 after purchasing an additional 1,449,626 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 250.9% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 61,077 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,625,000 after acquiring an additional 43,670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OMC Financial Services LTD acquired a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth about $1,923,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.