Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Up 2.8% – Should You Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares rose 2.8% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $107.42 and last traded at $106.9680. Approximately 20,147,506 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 8% from the average daily volume of 18,578,654 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.06.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $122.00 target price (up previously from $118.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Walmart from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Thirty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.55.

Walmart Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $103.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $100.09. The company has a market cap of $870.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 3.08%.The business had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.58 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total value of $746,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,535,221.85. This trade represents a 4.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.21, for a total value of $2,003,925.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,373,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $451,396,778.96. This represents a 0.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 138,597 shares of company stock worth $14,499,943. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 43.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 88,004 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,726,000 after acquiring an additional 26,452 shares in the last quarter. Independence Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth $336,000. Finally, Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 243,879 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,410,000 after purchasing an additional 3,315 shares during 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.