Cambria Investment Management L.P. Buys 29,066 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Cambria Investment Management L.P. raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 981.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,029 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 29,066 shares during the period. Cambria Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,301,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Collier Financial bought a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 212.6% in the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options activity — traders bought ~169,565 WMT call contracts (≈+42% vs. typical daily call volume), signaling short‑term bullish bets that can support upside if sentiment continues.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is being highlighted as an AI investment play—articles argue AI deployments across supply chain and pricing could raise efficiency and long‑term profitability. Forget Chipmakers: Walmart and Target Are the Real AI Plays
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart secured U.S. machine‑learning patents for pricing systems — a potential competitive edge to optimize margins and pricing strategies. Walmart Secures Machine Learning Patents for Pricing Items
• Positive Sentiment: Marketplace/Dropshipping integration with Doba expands Walmart Marketplace’s seller capabilities and could aid e‑commerce revenue growth. Doba Announces Verified Technical Integration with Walmart Marketplace to Empower Dropshipping Sellers
• Positive Sentiment: Positive analyst/retail commentary — some investors are bullish on Walmart’s expanding e‑commerce and advertising businesses as drivers of future growth. 1 Stock I Plan to Load Up On in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO transition coverage — analysis of managing leadership change notes both downside risk and opportunity; impact depends on specifics and investor reaction over time. How to Play 3 Major CEO Transitions in Early 2026 (WMT)
• Neutral Sentiment: PhonePe IPO pause — Walmart‑backed PhonePe delaying IPO due to market volatility is a timing risk for potential value realization, but not an immediate operational hit to Walmart. Walmart-backed PhonePe pauses IPO plans as Middle East conflict fuels market volatility
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder law firm is investigating Walmart’s board over alleged deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — potential legal, financial and governance risks that can weigh on sentiment and create downside risk. Berger Montague PC Investigates Walmart Inc.’s Board of Directors for Breach of Fiduciary Duty (NASDAQ: WMT)

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total value of $2,460,201.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,780,812.39. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 261,153 shares of company stock worth $32,005,084. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several research reports. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.76.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $121.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $965.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.19, a PEG ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $123.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.59. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.31%.

Walmart Company 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.