Is It Worth Investing in Walmart (WMT) Based on Wall Street's Bullish Views?

When deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock, investors often rely on analyst recommendations. Media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts often influence a stock's price, but are they really important? Let's take a look at what these Wall Street heavyweights have to say about Walmart (WMT) before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage. Walmart currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.40, on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations (Buy, Hold, Sell, etc.) made by 41 brokerage firms. An ABR of 1.40 approximates between Strong Buy and Buy.