Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Given New $89.00 Price Target at Evercore ISI

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its price objective upped by Evercore ISI from $66.00 to $89.00 in a research report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. Evercore ISI currently has an overweight rating on the retailer’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on WMT. Melius Research initiated coverage on Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Walmart from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Walmart from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their price objective on Walmart from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Two research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.49.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $88.32 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $709.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.25, a PEG ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.51. Walmart has a fifty-two week low of $49.85 and a fifty-two week high of $88.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder S Robson Walton sold 4,057,369 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.20, for a total transaction of $313,228,886.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 611,988,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,245,498,149.60. The trade was a 0.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,709,163 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 630,501,148 shares in the company, valued at $48,781,873,820.76. This trade represents a 0.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,823,647 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 138.3% in the 2nd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 253.0% in the 1st quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 526 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.