Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Price Target Cut to $112.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its target price reduced by investment analysts at UBS Group from $113.00 to $112.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the retailer’s stock. UBS Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 18.81% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on WMT. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. DZ Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $91.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $106.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 13th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.37.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT traded down $2.94 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $94.27. 20,550,593 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,464,354. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $95.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $86.25. Walmart has a 52-week low of $57.77 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $757.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.69, a PEG ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 0.55.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $180.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz purchased 5,446 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 7,805 shares in the company, valued at $716,577.05. This represents a 230.86 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.00, for a total transaction of $1,207,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 579,915 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,352,180. This trade represents a 2.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 176,777 shares of company stock worth $16,570,112. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Whelan Financial grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,937 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 10,232 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $924,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,685 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,417,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. 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.