Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Price Up 1.4% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) traded up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $114.79 and last traded at $114.34. 19,829,294 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 11% from the average session volume of 17,885,850 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.71.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. DA Davidson set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Truist Financial set a $127.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $123.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.28.

Walmart Trading Up 1.4%

The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $911.31 billion, a PE ratio of 39.98, a PEG ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $108.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.35.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.15 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.23, for a total transaction of $244,706.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 617,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $68,664,281.14. This trade represents a 0.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.21, for a total value of $460,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,031,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $118,833,930.55. This represents a 0.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 125,628 shares of company stock valued at $13,690,065. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 24.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,168,000 after acquiring an additional 229,220 shares during the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $497,771,000 after purchasing an additional 42,645 shares during the last quarter. Aviva PLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 16.4% in the 2nd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,833,720 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $374,861,000 after purchasing an additional 539,504 shares in the last quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. now owns 56,140 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,489,000 after purchasing an additional 3,696 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Willis Johnson & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 76.6% during the 2nd quarter. Willis Johnson & Associates Inc. now owns 42,626 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,168,000 after purchasing an additional 18,485 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.