Jennison Associates LLC Has $2.23 Billion Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Jennison Associates LLC decreased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,053,855 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 969,855 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.3% of Jennison Associates LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Jennison Associates LLC owned about 0.25% of Walmart worth $2,234,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its position in Walmart by 212.6% during the third 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 3.1%

Walmart stock opened at $131.93 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 48.15, a PEG ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $91.89 and a 52 week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current 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 $0.2475 dividend. 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 payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large supply?chain investment — Walmart opened its third owned milk processing facility (Robinson, TX) and is investing in milk capacity to strengthen domestic supply, lower costs and secure private?label supply chains, which supports margin and product availability. Walmart Opens Third Owned and Operated Milk Processing Facility in Robinson, Texas, Creating More Than 400 New Jobs Walmart invests in new milk plant to grow US supply chain
• Positive Sentiment: Leadership redesign aimed at retention and execution — Walmart is eliminating the “store lead” role while expanding higher?paid managerial positions to keep senior managers longer and accelerate store execution and merchandising (including a fashion push). Investors view this as a move to improve in?store performance and strategic initiatives. Walmart redesigns its leadership pipeline as managers making $400K stay for longer
• Positive Sentiment: Local assortment strategy — Walmart is expanding local products in select markets to better match tightened consumer budgets and preferences, a tactical move that can drive traffic and margins in price?sensitive areas. Walmart Eyes Local Products as National Consumer Mood Sours
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying — Alecta Pensionsforsakring increased its Walmart stake, a signal of confidence from a large investor that can support the stock. Alecta Pensionsforsakring Boosts Walmart Stake by 406,400 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Local store capital projects — Walmart is earmarking millions for upgrades at multiple Arizona stores; store refreshes can boost sales but also represent near?term capital spend. Walmart earmarks millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media bullish coverage — Several pieces summarize bullish theses on WMT and recommend the stock as retail sentiment improves; these articles can reinforce positive investor sentiment but are not new company actions. Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now? Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate social impact — Walmart’s Acres for America grants were announced; positive for ESG profile but unlikely to move near?term fundamentals. NFWF Announces $5.4 Million in Grants from Walmart’s Acres for America Program
• Negative Sentiment: Cost and near?term margin risk — The combination of higher?paid manager roles and heavy capital/supply?chain investments (e.g., $350M+ milk facilities) could weigh on near?term margins and free cash flow before benefits are realized. Walmart eliminates store lead positions as managers making $400K stay for longer

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $137.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,082,852. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at $61,962,034.28. The trade was a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,851,650 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.