Ever walk into a Walmart, grab a rotisserie chicken, and wonder if you should own the store instead of just the dinner? It's a classic thought. But if you’re looking at the ticker right now, things are looking a lot different than they did even six months ago.
As of the market close on Friday, January 16, 2026, Walmart stock (WMT) is priced at $119.20 per share.
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Now, if you saw some volatility throughout the day, you aren't imagining it. The stock actually climbed as high as $120.87 during the session before easing back down. It’s been a wild ride for the retail giant lately. Just a few days ago, on January 13, it hit an all-time closing high of $120.36.
Why Everyone Is Talking About Walmart Stock Today
Honestly, Walmart isn't just a "grocery store" anymore. That's the first thing people get wrong. When you're checking how much is walmart stock today, you aren't just betting on milk and diapers. You're betting on a massive data and logistics machine.
Their recent third-quarter earnings report for fiscal year 2026 really pulled back the curtain on this. Global e-commerce sales jumped by 27%. That is massive for a company of this size. Even more surprising? Their advertising wing, Walmart Connect, is growing like crazy, up 33% in the U.S. alone.
They are basically turning into a high-margin tech company that happens to have 10,500 physical stores.
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The Split Factor and the New Numbers
If you haven't checked the price in a year or two, you might be shocked to see it at $119. You might remember it being closer to $160 or $170. Back in early 2024, Walmart executed a 3-for-1 stock split. This didn't change the value of your investment, but it made the shares "cheaper" and more accessible for regular folks.
Since that split, the trajectory has been almost entirely upward. In 2025, the stock advanced more than 25%, soundly beating the S&P 500.
Is the Current Price "Too High"?
This is where it gets kinda complicated. If you talk to the analysts over at TD Cowen, they’ve named Walmart their "Best Idea for 2026." They love the AI integration. They love "Sparky," the AI shopping assistant.
But not everyone is convinced it's a bargain.
- Valuation Concerns: Walmart is currently trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of about 41.8.
- Comparison: To put that in perspective, Target usually trades at a much lower multiple (around 12-15).
- The "Costco" Effect: Some argue Walmart deserves this premium because it's behaving more like Costco, which often trades at a P/E over 40.
Donna Morris, an Executive Vice President at Walmart, actually sold about $1.13 million worth of shares on January 14. Insiders sell for lots of reasons—taxes, buying a house, diversifying—but it’s always worth noting when the stock is sitting near its 52-week high of $121.24.
The Tech Transformation Nobody Talks About
Most people looking up the stock price today are thinking about inflation or consumer spending. But the real story is in the back of the house.
Walmart has been pouring billions into supply chain automation. They’re now delivering roughly 35% of store-fulfilled orders in under three hours. Think about that. That’s faster than most specialized delivery services. By the end of this year, they expect their "business mix" to shift significantly toward these higher-margin streams like advertising and memberships.
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Dividend Reliability
For the "buy and hold" crowd, the price today is only half the story. Walmart has maintained dividend payments for 53 consecutive years.
The current forward dividend yield is approximately 0.79%.
It’s not a huge payout, but it’s as reliable as a Swiss watch. The next big date for dividend chasers to watch is March 12, 2026, which is the projected ex-dividend date for the next cycle.
What to Watch Next
If you're tracking the price this week, keep an eye on the $110 support level. Technical analysts like those at TradingView have noted that $110 was a major "resistance" point that has now flipped into "support." As long as the stock stays above that line, the bullish trend looks healthy.
However, keep an eye on new "fair pricing" legislation expected to kick in later this month. This could put some pressure on the pharmacy side of the business, which is a significant chunk of their revenue.
Actionable Steps for Investors
- Check the "Gap": The stock is currently trading very close to its 52-week high. If you’re a value investor, you might wait for a "pullback" toward the $112 range before jumping in.
- Monitor the AI rollout: Watch for news regarding their OpenAI and Google Gemini partnerships. If "Sparky" starts driving higher conversion rates in the app, the stock could easily break $130 by spring.
- Watch the Fed: Like all retail stocks, Walmart is sensitive to interest rates. Any hint of rates staying "higher for longer" in 2026 could cool off the recent rally.
Walmart isn't the boring grocery stock it was in the early 2000s. It's a tech-forward beast that is currently priced for perfection. Whether it can maintain this $119-$120 level depends entirely on if those high-margin digital dreams actually turn into cold, hard cash in the next earnings report.