Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Price Target Raised to $115.00 at Mizuho

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its price target hoisted by Mizuho from $105.00 to $115.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the retailer’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Walmart from $93.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.50.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $95.70 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart has a one year low of $65.90 and a one year high of $105.30. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $95.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $765.70 billion, a PE ratio of 39.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $217,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 630,518 shares in the company, valued at $62,421,282. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total transaction of $2,815,113.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,451,199 shares in the company, valued at $429,896,799.42. This represents a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 137,534 shares of company stock worth $12,833,664. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its position in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Operose Advisors LLC raised its position in Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its position in Walmart by 432.4% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.