Evercore ISI Increases Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Price Target to $107.00

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its price objective hoisted by Evercore ISI from $105.00 to $107.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.16.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $97.46 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market cap of $779.77 billion, a PE ratio of 40.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69. Walmart has a 12-month low of $65.64 and a 12-month high of $105.30. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.84.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $164.53 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 0.95%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $343,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 888,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,350,158.55. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.82, for a total value of $166,883.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 520,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,332,475.50. The trade was a 0.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Walmart by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 271,515 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $24,532,000 after acquiring an additional 19,233 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its stake in Walmart by 209.7% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 885,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $79,960,000 after purchasing an additional 599,257 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 203,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,292 shares during the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,124,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $359,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.