NEW YORK, Feb 5, 2026, 11:50 ET — During the regular session.
Walmart Inc shares slipped roughly 0.1% to $127.92 in late morning trading Thursday. The dip comes shortly after the retailer joined the $1 trillion market-value club earlier this week. 1
The pause still matters. As tech shares get hammered and crowded trades unwind, investors have been gravitating toward “defensive” stocks—those whose sales tend to remain steady when the economy slows. Walmart is near the front of that pack. Goldman Sachs told clients hedge funds endured their worst day in nearly a year on Wednesday, highlighting money shifting into names like Walmart. 2
The broader market remained under pressure on Thursday, with major U.S. indexes slipping further as tech stocks continued to fall. This environment has kept staples and large retailers in the spotlight, despite their relatively muted intraday moves. 3
Walmart’s surge is linked to its push into automation and AI, plus growth in its online marketplace and a $4 billion advertising arm, Reuters said Tuesday. The company also teamed up with OpenAI and Google to add shopping features to search chatbots, joined the Nasdaq-100 last month, and named John Furner global CEO on Feb. 1. “We think of trillion-dollar market caps as being a tech-stock phenomenon, but Walmart is a gritty ‘old-economy’ company,” noted Charles Sizemore, a Walmart investor. 4
Competition isn’t slowing down. Amazon is rolling out a massive 225,000-square-foot mega-store near Chicago, aiming to expand its reach in groceries and everyday goods. The company’s earnings report on Thursday will offer insight into consumer spending and delivery costs across the industry. “It’s going to take some time for them to catch up,” said S&P Global analyst Bea Chiem. 5
Investors are focused on whether Walmart’s tech investments lead to smoother operations — fewer out-of-stocks, quicker delivery, sharper search — all while keeping margins intact.
The rally has narrowed the trade. Should management push more on price investment or if costs pick up, the stock leaves little margin for error.
If investors pivot back toward risk, pushing the same tech names that sparked the selloff higher, it might sap demand for defensive stocks like consumer staples, which have been holding steady.
Walmart’s fiscal fourth-quarter report is set for Feb. 19, with earnings details expected by 6 a.m. CT and a conference call slated for 7 a.m. CT, according to the company. 6
