Walmart shares (NYSE:WMT) rise 0.1% after better-than-expected earnings

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT – Get Free Report) rose 0.1% in trading on Friday following a better-than-expected earnings announcement. The stock rose as high as $73.50 and was last seen at $73.22. 4,563,882 shares changed hands during midday trading, a 74% decline from the average session volume of 17,550,861 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.18.

The retailer reported earnings per share of $0.67 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $169.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst expectations of $168.56 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 21.57%. The company’s revenue grew 4.7% year-over-year. During the same period last year, the company generated earnings per share of $0.61.

Wall Street analysts comment

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI raised its price target on Walmart shares from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on Walmart shares from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its price target on Walmart shares from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised its price target on Walmart shares from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Walmart shares from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, 26 have given a buy recommendation and one has given the company a strong buy recommendation. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.79.

Get our latest report on WMT

Insider activity

In other news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.82, for a total transaction of $1,944,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 144,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,386,389.74. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, available at this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,398 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total value of $166,661.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 463,871 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,239,034.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, available at this link. Also, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.82, for a total transaction of $1,944,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 144,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,386,389.74. The disclosure regarding this sale can be found here. During the last quarter, insiders sold 11,000,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $725,932,010. 45.58% of the shares are currently owned by insiders.

Walmart institutional trading

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,436,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the same period. Rossmore Private Capital increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Rossmore Private Capital now owns 20,504 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,232,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the same period. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,377 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,370,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the same period. Landmark Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Landmark Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,055 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,112,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Kelman Lazarov Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Kelman Lazarov Inc. now owns 3,928 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $619,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. 26.76% of the shares are currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart price history

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $68.86 and its 200-day moving average is $63.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $590.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.50.

About Walmart

(Get free report)

Walmart Inc. operates retail, wholesale, other business and e-commerce businesses worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart US, Walmart International and Sam’s Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash-and-carry stores and discount stores under the Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; members-only warehouse clubs; e-commerce websites such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other websites; and mobile commerce applications.