Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Increases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 12.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,754,829 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 296,550 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.9% of Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $186,529,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Landmark Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Walmart by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Landmark Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,055 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,112,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 3,377 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $532,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Amussen Hunsaker Associates LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Amussen Hunsaker Associates LLC now owns 15,979 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,519,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Per Stirling Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Per Stirling Capital Management LLC. now owns 4,009 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $632,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 6,166 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $975,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total transaction of $166,607.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 459,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,113,904.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.76, for a total value of $166,607.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 459,558 shares in the company, valued at $37,113,904.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP David Chojnowski sold 8,791 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.00, for a total transaction of $597,788.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,420,220. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,369,039 shares of company stock valued at $959,826,083. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. HSBC upped their price objective on Walmart from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Walmart from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.99.

Walmart Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:WMT opened at $79.06 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.83. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.85 and a 12-month high of $81.02. The firm has a market cap of $635.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.79, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.51.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The retailer reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 21.72%. The company had revenue of $169.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.44 EPS for the current year.

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.