BMO Capital Markets Lowers Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Price Target to $175.00

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its price target decreased by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $180.00 to $175.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the retailer’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price points to a potential upside of 11.35% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on WMT. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. Credit Suisse Group raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 11th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 14th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Walmart in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Raymond James upped their target price on Walmart from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.94.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $1.12 on Friday, reaching $157.16. 4,955,429 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,945,460. The firm has a market capitalization of $423.01 billion, a PE ratio of 30.15, a PEG ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50 day moving average of $162.38 and a 200 day moving average of $157.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.26. Walmart has a 52 week low of $136.09 and a 52 week high of $169.94.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 16th. The retailer reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.53. The business had revenue of $160.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.65 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.23% and a return on equity of 21.47%. The company’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart will post 6.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.40, for a total transaction of $1,576,579.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,461,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $237,349,061.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 4,375 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total transaction of $708,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 269,119 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,597,278. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.40, for a total value of $1,576,579.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,461,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $237,349,061.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 31,166 shares of company stock worth $5,066,701. 46.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Integrated Advisors Network LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 19,583 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,132,000 after buying an additional 1,484 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its stake in Walmart by 5.8% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 494,961 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $79,159,000 after acquiring an additional 27,254 shares during the last quarter. Revisor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter worth $634,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 2,118.2% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 150,308 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $24,039,000 after purchasing an additional 143,532 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilson & Boucher Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.5% during the third quarter. Wilson & Boucher Capital Management LLC now owns 6,872 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,099,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 33.18% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, and other units 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, walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, and samsclub.com; and mobile commerce applications.