Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Increases Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 92.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 461,054 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 221,892 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $45,082,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1.1% during the second quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 8,707 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $851,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the first quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,275,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the second quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,830 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $961,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. RoundAngle Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.4% in the second quarter. RoundAngle Advisors LLC now owns 25,995 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,542,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, PCG Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Walmart by 3.6% during the second quarter. PCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,024 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE WMT opened at $105.29 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $839.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.58, a PEG ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $103.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $109.57.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The business had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.58 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $122.00 price target (up previously from $118.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price (up previously from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Mizuho reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Thirty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,630 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.58, for a total transaction of $167,205.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 642,788 shares in the company, valued at $65,937,193.04. The trade was a 0.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.63, for a total value of $406,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,040,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,741,441.65. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 137,888 shares of company stock valued at $14,241,903. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

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.