If you woke up this morning and checked your portfolio, you probably noticed Walmart is having a bit of a moment. Honestly, it’s more than a moment. It’s a full-on sprint. As of right now, January 18, 2026, we’re looking at a stock that just capped off a wild week, closing Friday around $119.20. It actually touched intraday highs near $120.60 recently.
People are freaking out. In a good way.
You see, for years, Walmart was the "boring" stock your grandpa owned for the dividends. But look at the charts lately. The stock is up more than 25% over the last year. It just hit an all-time high of $117.48 on January 12th, and it hasn't really looked back since. If you're asking what is walmart stock at today, the short answer is: it's hovering near its peak, and the market is essentially treating it like a tech company.
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Why the $119 price tag actually makes sense
Markets are forward-looking, and right now, the "forward" looks like a robot-filled warehouse. Seriously. Walmart isn't just selling 24-packs of toilet paper anymore; they are dominating e-commerce in a way that’s making Seattle a little nervous.
Last quarter, their global e-commerce sales jumped 27%. That’s not a typo.
They’ve also successfully courted the "rich" crowd. About 75% of their recent market-share gains came from households making over $100,000 a year. When inflation stays sticky—and it has been, hovering around 2.7%—even the wealthy start looking for deals. They’re trading down to Walmart, but they’re buying the high-margin stuff, like the "Bettergoods" private label or fashion.
The Nasdaq-100 shakeup
Here is the bit of news that most casual observers missed this week. Walmart is officially joining the Nasdaq-100 Index on January 20th. It’s replacing AstraZeneca.
Why does this matter for the price today? Because every single index fund and institutional manager that tracks the Nasdaq-100 has to go out and buy millions of shares of WMT. That creates a massive "buying floor." It’s basically a giant gust of wind beneath the stock’s wings. If you saw the price tick up on Friday despite a generally choppy market, that’s why.
Breaking down the valuation: Is it too expensive?
I’ll be real with you—the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is getting a little spicy.
We’re sitting at a P/E of about 41.9.
To put that in perspective, Target usually trades way lower, and even the broader S&P 500 is often around 22-25. Some analysts, like the folks at Wall Street Zen, actually downgraded the stock to a "Hold" this morning. They aren't saying it’s a bad company. They're just saying it’s expensive.
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- The Bulls: They say the 41x multiple is justified because of "Walmart Connect" (their ad business) and their AI assistant "Sparky." These are high-margin tech plays.
- The Bears: They worry about the new pharmacy pricing legislation taking effect this year. Plus, there's a tax court case in India involving Flipkart that could be a headache.
It's a tug-of-war.
John Furner is set to take over as CEO on February 1st. Usually, leadership changes make investors jumpy, but Furner is a Walmart veteran. He’s the guy who helped build the U.S. e-commerce machine. The market seems to trust him, which is why we aren't seeing a "leadership exit" sell-off.
What’s happening with the dividend?
If you're a "buy and hold" person, you’re likely here for the checks. Walmart is a Dividend King. They’ve raised that payout for 52 years straight.
The current annual dividend is $0.94 per share.
You just missed the January 5th payout, but the next one is lined up for April 7, 2026. You need to own the shares before the March 23rd ex-dividend date to catch that one. It’s a yield of roughly 0.79%. Not huge, but as safe as a vault.
Actionable insights for the week ahead
If you are looking at the current price and wondering whether to jump in or run away, keep these specifics in mind.
First, watch the $121.23 level. That’s the 52-week high. If the stock breaks above that with high volume on Tuesday (after the holiday), it could trigger another "breakout" run toward the $130 targets set by firms like Wolfe Research and Jefferies.
Second, don't ignore the "trade-down" effect. If the upcoming jobs report looks weak, Walmart usually gains because people move their spending from specialty stores to the "Everyday Low Price" leader.
Finally, keep an eye on the February 19th earnings report. That’s the big one. Management will give their first official guidance for the rest of 2026. If they sound conservative, we might see a "valuation reset" where the stock pulls back to the $110 range.
Basically, the stock is at a crossroads. It's a retail giant that finally learned how to be a tech company, and the market is paying a premium for that transformation. Just don't expect it to stay this quiet for long once the Nasdaq-100 inclusion goes live on Tuesday.
Next Steps for Investors:
- Check the 52-week high: Monitor if WMT crosses the $121.23 threshold on Tuesday morning, as this often signals a new technical "buy" phase for momentum traders.
- Verify dividend eligibility: Ensure your brokerage account shows a purchase date before March 23, 2026, if you intend to capture the next quarterly dividend of $0.235 per share.
- Set a stop-loss: Given the high P/E of 41.9, consider placing a protective stop-loss near the $111 support level to mitigate risk if a market-wide "valuation reset" occurs.