Walmart Stock (WMT) News and Forecast Today: Nasdaq-100 Snub, Analyst Targets, Dividend Dates, and 2026 Catalysts

Updated: December 14, 2025

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ: WMT) is ending 2025 with its stock near record levels—and with a fresh Wall Street narrative that increasingly treats the world’s largest retailer as a tech-enabled logistics and digital commerce platform, not “just” a big-box chain. That story gained momentum after Walmart’s historic move from the New York Stock Exchange to Nasdaq earlier this month. ^[1]

But the most market-moving headline tied to that switch is what didn’t happen: Walmart narrowly missed eligibility for the Nasdaq-100’s annual reconstitution because its Nasdaq listing came too late for this year’s cutoff, according to coverage of the reshuffle process. ^[2]

Below is a detailed, newsroom-ready roundup of today’s Walmart stock news, the latest analyst forecasts and price targets, and the key catalysts and risks investors are watching as 2026 approaches.

Walmart stock price today (WMT): where shares stand

As of the latest available trade timestamp, Walmart stock is around $116.70, following a recent move to fresh highs.
Regulatory and market summaries circulating today also point to a 52-week high near $116.95 and a 52-week low near $79.81, highlighting just how strong the 2025 run has been. ^[3]

On performance, a widely circulated market recap noted WMT shares were up about 25.3% year-to-date in 2025, underscoring Walmart’s status as a defensive growth compounder in a volatile consumer backdrop. ^[4]

Walmart’s scale is also now being discussed in “megacap” terms: Reuters index coverage cited a market capitalization around $932.7 billion, placing it firmly in the elite tier of U.S. companies. ^[5]

What’s new on December 14, 2025: Walmart and the Nasdaq-100 reshuffle

Walmart missed the Nasdaq-100—this time

A major piece of today’s Walmart stock conversation centers on the Nasdaq-100 annual reconstitution, which will take effect December 22, 2025. Walmart switched exchanges too late to qualify under the annual reshuffle’s reference-date mechanics, according to reporting tied to the index review. ^[6]

That matters because Nasdaq-100 membership can increase demand from passive funds and index-linked products that track the benchmark (such as those tied to QQQ), a theme highlighted in coverage of the reshuffle’s consequences for constituents. ^[7]

Who did get added and removed

According to Nasdaq’s official release and Reuters reporting on the reshuffle, six companies were added and six were removed as part of the annual process, with changes effective December 22. ^[8]

Market coverage summarized the additions as Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Ferrovial, Insmed, Monolithic Power Systems, Seagate Technology, and Western Digital, with Biogen, CDW, GlobalFoundries, Lululemon, ON Semiconductor, and Trade Desk among the removals. ^[9]

Why Walmart investors should care even without inclusion: The attention itself reinforces the “Walmart-as-tech-and-logistics” rerating thesis—because Nasdaq-100 eligibility discussions tend to center on growth, liquidity, and index mechanics, not just retail fundamentals. ^[10]

Walmart’s Nasdaq move: a historic listing switch with a “tech-forward” message

Walmart’s shift to Nasdaq was positioned as more than a change of venue.

Nasdaq’s own technical notice said Walmart was expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under ticker WMT on December 9, 2025, and it urged market data participants to update listing-market records after the close on December 8. ^[11]
Reuters described the transfer as the biggest-ever exchange switch on record and reported Walmart framed the move as part of a “technology-forward approach,” explicitly referencing automation and AI as it seeks to “redefine industries.” ^[12]
Barron’s coverage similarly portrayed the Nasdaq listing as a capstone to Walmart’s decade-long transformation into a more technology-driven retailer. ^[13]

The short version: Walmart’s investor messaging is converging on a single idea—omnichannel at scale, powered by automation and faster delivery, with higher-margin digital businesses layered on top.

The operating engine behind WMT: e-commerce speed, delivery reach, and AI

Delivery: pushing the “instant retail” frontier

In holiday-season operational news, Business Insider reported Walmart extended its Christmas Eve express delivery cutoff to 5 p.m. local time and said it can now reach 95% of U.S. households in three hours or less, with December express volumes running 2.5x the rest-of-year pace. ^[14]

For the stock, this matters because ultrafast fulfillment isn’t just a convenience feature—it’s part of the economic flywheel investors increasingly associate with Walmart’s moat: store density + last-mile capabilities + recurring digital engagement.

AI: partnering with OpenAI and driving on-platform shopping

On the technology side, Reuters reported Walmart partnered with OpenAI to let customers shop directly within ChatGPT using an “Instant Checkout” feature, while also rolling out in-app generative AI tools (including a shopping assistant) as it competes more directly with Amazon’s own AI shopping efforts. ^[15]

This kind of headline tends to support the market’s willingness to value Walmart on a blend of consumer staples stability and tech-adjacent optionality.

Leadership change: a major 2026 catalyst investors are pricing in

Walmart is also approaching a CEO transition—often a meaningful moment for long-term shareholders.

Reuters reported John Furner (a Walmart veteran who started as an hourly associate) was named the next CEO, effective February 2026, succeeding Doug McMillon after more than a decade at the helm. ^[16]
Recent interview coverage also noted McMillon’s departure and framed it as part of a broader wave of retail CEO exits amid AI disruption, shifting consumer behavior, and rising operating complexity. ^[17]

For investors, the question isn’t whether Walmart will keep investing in digital—it’s whether the next leadership era accelerates the higher-margin parts of the model (marketplace, advertising, membership, automation) without sacrificing the price-and-volume identity that underpins Walmart’s traffic advantage.

Walmart stock forecasts: analyst ratings and price targets

The headline from today’s forecast pages is clear: analysts are broadly bullish, but upside estimates cluster close to the current price—suggesting Walmart’s 2025 rerating has already pulled forward a lot of optimism.

Consensus outlook

MarketBeat’s compiled data shows a “Moderate Buy” consensus based on 32 analyst ratings, with a consensus price target of $119.31 (about 2.24% implied upside from around $116.70) and a target range spanning $91 to $130. ^[18]
StockAnalysis similarly reports a consensus view of “Strong Buy” with an average target around $118.33, also citing a $91 to $130 range. ^[19]

Recent price target moves and “street calls”

Analyst notes in recent weeks have skewed upward:

Investing.com reported DA Davidson raised its Walmart price target to $130 from $117 while maintaining a Buy rating, citing comparatively stronger performance versus other big-box peers and continued strength tied to convenience and higher-income customer gains. ^[20]
A TipRanks/TheFly item reported TD Cowen raised its price target to $136 from $125 and kept a Buy rating, emphasizing Walmart’s delivery moat, ecosystem development, and profit growth potential driven by e-commerce, AI, marketplace, retail media, and membership. ^[21]

The valuation debate: the bull case meets the “priced-in” concern

Even many bullish write-ups flag a central tension: valuation.

One widely circulated analysis framed Walmart’s P/E multiple as sitting in a tech-like range (around the low 40s), while suggesting that could imply limited near-term upside unless fundamentals keep surprising to the upside. ^[22]

That sets up 2026 as a year where Walmart may need to prove—quarter by quarter—that its margin structure and digital monetization justify the premium.

Dividend and shareholder return: key dates investors are watching

Dividend investors have a concrete near-term calendar to track.

Nasdaq’s technical notice included confirmed dividend details:

Annual cash dividend:$0.94 per share
Quarterly installments:$0.235 per share
Record date:December 12, 2025
Payment date:January 5, 2026 ^[23]

The same notice linked the dividend raise to Walmart’s long-running dividend growth streak, framing it as the 52nd consecutive year of dividend increases. ^[24]

Legal and regulatory overhangs: opioid litigation back in focus

While investors often focus on growth drivers, legal outcomes can shift sentiment quickly—especially for megacaps held widely in index and retirement portfolios.

Reuters reported that a Florida judge declared a mistrial in a lawsuit brought by 16 Florida hospitals accusing Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens of contributing to opioid-related harms and costs. Jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict after extended deliberations, and a retrial could be scheduled as early as April. ^[25]

Walmart, according to Reuters, said it viewed the evidence presented as “flimsy” and expressed confidence it would prevail in a retrial. ^[26]

For WMT shareholders, this is best understood as a headline-risk factor: not necessarily a thesis-breaker on its own, but a source of uncertainty that can affect short-term positioning and the risk premium investors demand.

What to watch next: the near-term catalysts for Walmart stock

Here are the most actionable calendar items for investors tracking WMT into early 2026:

Nasdaq-100 changes take effect (Dec. 22, 2025)
Walmart isn’t included this year, but the reshuffle keeps the index inclusion conversation alive. ^[27]
Dividend payment date (Jan. 5, 2026)
Key for income-focused holders and dividend reinvestment flows. ^[28]
Next earnings: FY2026 Q4 results (Feb. 19, 2026)
Walmart’s investor events page lists the FY2026 Q4 earnings release on Feb. 19, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. U.S./Central, with materials available earlier that morning and a conference call scheduled. ^[29]
CEO transition (February 2026)
The market will listen closely for strategic continuity—and any acceleration in AI, marketplace, and retail media monetization under the next CEO. ^[30]

Bottom line: is Walmart stock a buy at these levels?

As of December 14, 2025, Walmart stock sits at the intersection of two powerful narratives:

Defensive durability: A grocery-anchored traffic engine and scale advantages that tend to perform through uneven consumer cycles. ^[31]
Tech-enabled upside: Faster delivery, automation, and AI partnerships that are steadily reshaping Walmart’s identity—and, importantly, its valuation framework. ^[32]

Analysts remain broadly positive, but the consensus price targets clustering close to the current price suggest the market is already pricing in a lot of good news. ^[33]

For long-term investors, the key questions into 2026 are straightforward:

Can Walmart keep growing higher-margin digital revenue streams fast enough to justify a premium multiple?
Can it maintain its low-price leadership while scaling ultrafast fulfillment and automation?
Do legal and regulatory headlines remain containable, or do they become a recurring drag on sentiment? ^[34]