Dodge & Cox Lowers Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Dodge & Cox has reduced its holdings in Walmart Inc. by 1.7% during the first quarter, now owning 180,285 shares valued at approximately $15.83 million.
• Several institutional investors have significantly increased their positions in Walmart, with Operose Advisors boosting holdings by 319.7%, and Clal Insurance by 432.4% in the first quarter.
• Walmart's stock recently reported a miss on EPS with $0.68, under the consensus estimate of $0.74, and announced a $0.235 dividend to be paid on September 2nd.

Dodge & Cox decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 180,285 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 3,025 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox's holdings in Walmart were worth $15,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Operose Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 319.7% during the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 432.4% in the first 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 in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 95.2% in the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $111.00 to $109.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.07.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $1,248,712.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 932,313 shares in the company, valued at approximately $88,700,258.82. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total transaction of $380,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,060,455 shares in the company, valued at $100,997,734.20. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 88,841 shares of company stock valued at $8,565,205 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $96.8190 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.01 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $97.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $95.63. The firm has a market cap of $772.66 billion, a PE ratio of 36.40, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 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 analyst estimates of $174.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.67 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

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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