Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 141,110 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Epoch Investment Partners Inc. sold 141,110 shares of Walmart Inc., reducing its position by 13.5% and retaining 903,983 shares valued at approximately $79.36 million.
• Insiders have recently sold over 101,966 shares of Walmart stock, indicating notable trading activity from company executives.
• Despite recent earnings misses, several analysts have maintained positive ratings for Walmart, with a current consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $110.07.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lessened its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 13.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 903,983 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 141,110 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $79,361,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Whelan Financial increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the first quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 3.7% during the first quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer's stock worth $684,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,885 shares of the retailer's stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,655 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.38, for a total value of $166,128.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 647,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,003,879.64. The trade was a 0.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total transaction of $216,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 626,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,547,399.40. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 101,966 shares of company stock valued at $9,858,673. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $106.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $110.07.

Walmart Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $96.18 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $767.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.16, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $75.57 and a one year high of $105.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $98.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.49.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06). Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The company had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.67 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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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