So, you’re looking at today’s walmart stock price and wondering if the retail king of Bentonville finally cracked the code to becoming a Silicon Valley darling. Honestly, the numbers tell a wild story. As of the market close on Friday, January 16, 2026—since today is Sunday and the floors are quiet—Walmart (WMT) sits at $119.70.
That is not just a high number. It is hovering right near its 52-week peak of $121.24. If you’ve been holding onto these shares since the $79 lows we saw last year, you’re likely feeling pretty good about your portfolio. But there is a lot more under the hood than just "people are buying more eggs and toilet paper."
Walmart is in the middle of a massive identity shift. They aren't just a grocery store anymore; they are a logistics and AI powerhouse that just happened to move its listing to the Nasdaq late last year. In fact, tomorrow is a huge day. Monday, January 19, is a holiday, but when the opening bell rings on Tuesday, January 20, Walmart officially joins the Nasdaq-100. This is a massive symbolic shift. For fifty years, they were the backbone of the NYSE. Now? They’re rubbing shoulders with Apple and Nvidia.
The Gemini factor and why it matters
One of the biggest reasons for the buzz around today’s walmart stock price is the recent partnership with Google. Last week, at the NRF Big Show in New York, incoming CEO John Furner shared the stage with Sundar Pichai. They aren't just talking about better search bars. They are integrating Walmart’s entire inventory into Google’s Gemini AI.
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Basically, you’ll be able to talk to an AI agent, ask it to plan a birthday party for a five-year-old who loves dinosaurs, and the AI will actually "shop" Walmart for you, bundle the items, and have them at your door in thirty minutes. This isn't "future talk" anymore. It's the new standard for what they call "agentic commerce."
Investors are eating this up because it shifts the profit model. Selling a gallon of milk has thin margins. Selling an AI-driven subscription service (Walmart+) and high-margin digital ads? That’s where the real money is. Their "Walmart Connect" ad business grew over 30% in the last quarter alone.
Insider moves and the valuation trap
Not everyone is shouting "buy" from the rooftops, though. You’ve gotta look at the insiders. On January 14, 2026, Executive Vice President Donna Morris sold over 9,000 shares at about $120 each. Now, executives sell for all sorts of reasons—taxes, buying a new house, diversifying—but it’s a reminder that the stock is currently trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of over 41.
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That is a very "tech-heavy" valuation. To put that in perspective, the S&P 500 average is often around 22. Some analysts, like the folks at The Motley Fool, are warning that the stock might be overextended. They’re predicting a possible dip back below $110 if the "AI hype" doesn't immediately translate into the next quarterly earnings report.
What to watch for in your portfolio
If you’re tracking today’s walmart stock price as a long-term investor, the noise of a single day doesn't matter as much as the structural changes. Here is what is actually moving the needle:
- The Leadership Transition: John Furner is officially taking over from Doug McMillon. He just announced a massive C-suite shakeup, including naming David Guggina—the former head of e-commerce—as the new CEO of Walmart U.S. This tells you exactly where the company’s head is at: Digital first.
- Infrastructure Bets: They just dropped over $330 million to modernize a distribution center in Louisiana. Why? Robotics. They are trying to double their shipping capacity to compete with Amazon's "same-day" speeds.
- Health and Wellness: The launch of "Better Care Services" earlier this month and their partnership with LillyDirect for Zepbound pickup shows they want to be your doctor and your pharmacist, too.
Actionable insights for the week ahead
If you're looking at today's walmart stock price and trying to decide your next move, don't ignore the Nasdaq-100 entry on Tuesday. Often, when a stock joins a major index, there is a surge of "forced buying" from index funds and ETFs that have to hold the stock by mandate. This can create a short-term price spike.
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However, keep a close eye on the $121 resistance level. If it breaks that, we could see a run toward $130. If it fails to hold $118 this week, it might be a sign that the market thinks the current price has already "baked in" all the good news from the Google partnership.
Check your exposure to retail-heavy ETFs like XRT. If you're already heavy there, you might be more exposed to Walmart than you think. Given the high P/E ratio, it’s a good time to review your stop-loss orders to protect the gains from the 26% rally we've seen over the last six months.
Keep an eye on the upcoming Q4 earnings report. That will be the first real test of whether the "New Year, New You" wellness push and the holiday e-commerce numbers actually justified this massive valuation climb.
Next Steps:
Monitor the market open on Tuesday, January 20, to see how the Nasdaq-100 inclusion affects trading volume. You should also verify if your brokerage has updated the listing from NYSE to Nasdaq to ensure your limit orders are still active.