NEW YORK, January 1, 2026, 04:50 ET — Market closed
Walmart Inc stock closed down 52 cents, or 0.5%, at $111.41 on Wednesday, the last trading day of 2025. The shares traded between $111.32 and $112.24 during the session.
U.S. equity markets are closed on Thursday for New Year’s Day, pausing trading as investors reset positioning for the first session of 2026. The New York Stock Exchange calendar lists New Year’s Day as a holiday.
Walmart’s dip came as Wall Street ended the year lower, with the S&P 500 falling 0.74% in thin holiday-week trading on Dec. 31. “It’s perfectly fine in any bull market to have moments of cost,” said Giuseppe Sette, co-founder and president of Reflexivity. Reuters
The stock’s move tracked the broader retail tape. Amazon.com fell 0.74% while Target rose 0.33% in the same session, MarketWatch data showed.
Walmart often trades as a defensive retailer because grocery and household staples tend to hold up when consumers pull back. That makes the shares a read-through on expectations for early-year spending and price sensitivity.
Investors are also looking toward a management transition. Walmart said its board elected U.S. business chief John Furner to succeed Doug McMillon as CEO effective Feb. 1, 2026.
The next major company catalyst is earnings. Walmart is expected to report results on Feb. 19, before the market opens, according to Nasdaq’s earnings calendar.
Traders will focus on same-store sales — revenue growth at stores open at least a year — and operating margin, a measure of profit from the core business. E-commerce progress and demand trends at Sam’s Club are also on the checklist.
Walmart last raised its full-year outlook in November after reporting stronger-than-expected U.S. comparable sales growth and pointing to demand from higher-income shoppers for delivery and general merchandise, Reuters reported at the time.
Before the next session, investors will weigh how the market reopens after the holiday break. The Nasdaq and NYSE are scheduled to resume trading on Jan. 2, MarketWatch reported.
The early calendar is also in focus. The New York Fed’s national economic calendar shows weekly initial jobless claims due at 8:30 a.m. ET on Jan. 2, a timely gauge of layoffs and labor-market momentum.
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