沃尔玛（纽约证券交易所代码：WMT）在StockNews.com上调至 “强势买入”|buy_新浪财经

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Several other research analysts have also commented on WMT. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 7th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $159.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $161.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, December 6th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $159.00 target price for the company. Roth Capital reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 14th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $162.44.

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Walmart Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of WMT opened at $141.44 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day moving average is $143.48 and its 200 day moving average is $140.74. Walmart has a fifty-two week low of $117.27 and a fifty-two week high of $160.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $381.44 billion, a PE ratio of 33.05, a P/E/G ratio of 4.26 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 21st. The retailer reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $164.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $158.67 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 20.45%. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.53 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, November 15th that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the retailer to buy up to 5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 1,293,218 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.25, for a total value of $196,892,440.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 274,836,917 shares in the company, valued at $41,843,920,613.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Walmart news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 1,293,218 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.25, for a total value of $196,892,440.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 274,836,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,843,920,613.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director S Robson Walton sold 493,782 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.55, for a total transaction of $75,326,444.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 274,138,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,819,772,494.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 6,865,892 shares of company stock worth $1,012,166,407 over the last quarter. Insiders own 47.06% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $5,302,000. Windward Capital Management Co. CA boosted its stake in Walmart by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Windward Capital Management Co. CA now owns 28,022 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,634,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management boosted its stake in Walmart by 35.2% during the 3rd quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 20,160 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,615,000 after purchasing an additional 5,253 shares during the last quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI boosted its stake in Walmart by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 2,989 shares of the retailer's stock worth $388,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 39.4% during the 3rd quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,552 shares of the retailer's stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 721 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.27% of the company's stock.

About Walmart

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Walmart, Inc engages in retail and wholesale business. The company offers an assortment of merchandise and services at everyday low prices. It operates through the following business segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. The Walmart U.S. segment operates as a merchandiser of consumer products, operating under the Walmart, Wal-Mart, and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands, as well as walmart.com and other eCommerce brands.