Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Decreases Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 44.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 437,593 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 350,103 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $48,752,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $121.04 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.62 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $963.25 billion, a PE ratio of 42.47, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 0.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $125.28 and its 200 day moving average is $121.78.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 128,986 shares of company stock valued at $15,927,908 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 target price on Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Walmart Profile

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.