New York, Jan 8, 2026, 18:27 EST — After-hours
- Walmart shares edged up in after-hours trade after naming tech executive Shishir Mehrotra to its board
- Barclays and Oppenheimer lifted their price targets on WMT to $125 this week
- Next catalysts include Walmart’s ICR conference appearance on Jan. 13 and its Feb. 19 earnings report
Walmart Inc shares were up 0.3% at $113.07 in after-hours trading on Thursday after the retailer named Shishir Mehrotra, CEO at Superhuman (formerly Grammarly), to its board. Mehrotra said joining as Walmart “builds for an agentic AI future” — a reference to software agents that can carry out tasks with less human input. Walmart Inc.
The board move lands as Wall Street tries to price the next leg for Walmart stock after a multi-year rerating. Oppenheimer on Thursday raised its price target to $125 from $115 and said Walmart’s “algorithm” — management’s multi-year targets — calls for about 4% sales growth and 4%-8% operating income growth, a core-profit measure. TipRanks
Barclays lifted its Walmart price target to $125 from $108 and kept an Overweight rating, pointing to a potential “modest bump” in demand if consumers see tax savings and interest rate cuts. Price targets are analysts’ estimates of where a stock could trade over the next year, not a promise. TipRanks
But the same notes also sketch a choppier 2026 tape for big-box retail. Deutsche Bank analyst Krisztina Katai resumed coverage of Walmart with a Hold rating and a $119 target, calling 2026 a “mixed year” marked by food disinflation, reduced government benefits and value-focused shoppers. TipRanks
A company filing showed Mehrotra will serve on Walmart’s compensation and technology and eCommerce committees, and will receive a prorated stock award as part of non-management director pay. The filing also said there was no arrangement tied to his appointment.
Technically, Walmart is trading below its 52-week high of $117.45 and above its 50-day moving average of $108.80, with a 52-week low of $79.81. The company’s market value stood at about $898 billion, based on MarketWatch data.
Retail shares were broadly firmer in the regular session, with Target up 2.6% and Costco up 3.7%, while Walmart ended slightly higher. The S&P 500 was little changed.
What investors watch next is Walmart’s read on discretionary demand, margins and the pace of its digital and advertising businesses when it gives updates at the ICR Conference on Jan. 13. Walmart is also scheduled to report fiscal 2026 fourth-quarter results on Feb. 19.
