Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Purchases 122,468 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Bahl & Gaynor Inc. significantly increased its stake in Walmart by 104.9%, acquiring an additional 122,468 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 239,162 shares valued at approximately $20.99 million.
• Walmart reported earnings of $0.68 per share for the last quarter, missing expectations, while revenue increased by 4.8% year-over-year to $169.34 billion.
• Walmart will pay a dividend of $0.235 on September 2nd, with a dividend yield of 90.0% and a payout ratio of 35.34%.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 104.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 239,162 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 122,468 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $20,996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Operose Advisors LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 319.7% in the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 98.2% in the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its position in shares of Walmart by 432.4% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton increased its stake in Walmart by 95.2% during the 1st quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $96.8190 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.01 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $772.66 billion, a PE ratio of 36.40, a PEG ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $97.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.58.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.06). Walmart had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 3.08%.The company had revenue of $169.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.67 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a yield of 90.0%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Erste Group Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. KeyCorp increased their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, August 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.07.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,655 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.38, for a total value of $166,128.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 647,578 shares in the company, valued at $65,003,879.64. This represents a 0.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total value of $216,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 626,118 shares in the company, valued at $61,547,399.40. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 88,841 shares of company stock valued at $8,565,205. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Company Profile

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.

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