Cambria Investment Management L.P. Grows Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Cambria Investment Management increased its stake in Walmart by 981% in Q3, acquiring an additional 29,066 shares to own 32,029 shares worth about $3.30 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.42, while several firms raised targets into the $140–$145 range.
• Walmart slightly beat quarterly expectations (EPS $0.74 vs. $0.73; revenue $190.66B vs. $188.37B) and set FY2027 guidance of EPS 2.75–2.85.

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

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $1,709,000. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 24.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $121,168,000 after purchasing an additional 229,220 shares during the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its position in Walmart by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer's stock worth $497,771,000 after purchasing an additional 42,645 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its position in Walmart by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer's stock worth $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 9,061 shares during the period. Finally, Aviva PLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 16.4% in the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,833,720 shares of the retailer's stock worth $374,861,000 after purchasing an additional 539,504 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 9th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 target price on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.42.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $127.81 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.65, a PEG ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $134.69. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $121.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $110.68.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid 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 currently 34.31%.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart-backed PhonePe is planning an India IPO targeting a $9–$10.5B valuation — a potential near-term monetization event for Walmart’s investment and a driver of investor sentiment around international growth and fintech upside. Exclusive: Walmart-backed PhonePe targets up to $10.5 billion valuation in India IPO, sources say
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst / blog bullish coverage reiterates Walmart’s strengths (scale, operational discipline, e‑commerce and ad/digital growth) and argues WMT remains a compelling defensive plus growth-ish retail holding — supportive for investor confidence and multiple expansion. Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Industry coverage highlighting Walmart’s durable same‑store sales, digital/ad revenue, and AI investments frames the company as positioned for continued steady growth — a reason long‑term investors may hold or buy. 3 Things to Know About Walmart Stock Before You Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart opened a next‑generation Supercenter in The Villages, FL — incremental store growth and local assortment (including Fresh From Florida) support execution but are small relative to company scale. Walmart Opens Next Generation Supercenter in The Villages, Highlights Florida-Grown Products
• Neutral Sentiment: New product listings (Liquid Youth Sparkling Collagen Water) at select Walmart stores broaden grocery/beverage assortment and show ongoing vendor/brand acceptance — positive for merchandising but immaterial to top-line at scale. Liquid Youth™ Expands Retail Footprint with Launch at Target and Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares (~$2.56M at ~$127.79), reducing his stake ~3.95%; insider sales can create short‑term negative optics even if routine. Insider sale: John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares
• Negative Sentiment: Target’s reported turnaround and upgraded outlook lift competitive pressure in the big‑box segment; improving Target momentum is a relative risk to Walmart’s market‑share and margin narrative. Target’s 2026 Turnaround: Analysts Bullish as Growth Returns

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total value of $1,574,868.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 727,155 shares of the company's stock, valued at $87,251,328.45. The trade was a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total value of $2,171,291.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $482,583,689.39. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 279,703 shares of company stock valued at $34,140,843 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Walmart

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.