Arlington Financial Advisors LLC Takes Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Arlington Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,491 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $500,000.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. One investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s ad business surged ~37% in Q4, which boosts higher-margin revenue and could improve overall profitability going forward. Walmart’s Ad Business Jumps 37%: Margin Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat consensus (EPS and revenue) and management set FY2027 EPS guidance (2.75–2.85), supporting the view that Walmart’s core retail performance and membership/ads mix are improving.
• Positive Sentiment: New national product distribution deals (example: Zep cleaning products now carried nationwide at Walmart) show ongoing assortment and supplier momentum that can drive traffic and category share. Zep Expands Home Pro Distribution at Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/market commentary is highlighting Walmart as a buy point amid broader market weakness — useful for momentum traders but less material to fundamentals. Dow Jones discount retailer Walmart offers latest buy point amid market weakness
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry logistics moves — FedEx launching same‑day options as retailers (including Walmart) race to speed up delivery — are an operational/competitive factor to watch but not an immediate earnings shock. FedEx launches same-day delivery with OneRail
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports in the feed show zero or data anomalies (0 shares / NaN increases) and a days-to-cover of 0.0 — not currently informative for sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: A plaintiffs’ law firm is investigating Walmart’s board for possible breach of fiduciary duty related to alleged deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — a governance/legal risk that could lead to litigation or reputational costs. Berger Montague PC Investigates Walmart Board for Breach of Fiduciary Duty
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: the CEO reported selling roughly $1.6M of WMT stock — a signal some investors watch closely even though sales can be routine. Walmart CEO Sells $1,600,725.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary questioning Walmart’s “all-weather” defensive status suggests valuation and crowding risks for investors who expect steady downside protection; this is a cautionary view on medium-term upside. Walmart: All-Weather Status Ironically Creates Risk For Investors

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,082,852. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,605,809. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $122.05 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $973.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.50 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. The business’s 50 day moving average is $124.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.24. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

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.