Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $83.37 and last traded at $83.31, with a volume of 1343475 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $82.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMT. StockNews.com raised shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Truist Financial raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $76.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.89.

Walmart Price Performance

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 company has a market capitalization of $671.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.49, a PEG ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $79.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.41.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The firm had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.56 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.61 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $209,607,941.31. Following the sale, the insider now owns 630,501,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,781,873,820.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total value of $1,088,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 593,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,198,598.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,334,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,577,287 in the last ninety days. 45.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. WFA Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 201.0% in the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 2,092 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,397 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 36.4% in the 1st quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 9,728 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $585,000 after buying an additional 2,597 shares during the last quarter. American Institute for Advanced Investment Management LLP increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 189.6% during the first quarter. American Institute for Advanced Investment Management LLP now owns 6,560 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 4,295 shares during the period. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Walmart by 243.0% during the 1st quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,144 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $490,000 after buying an additional 5,770 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 221.5% in the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 106,363 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,400,000 after purchasing an additional 73,279 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.