Walmart (WMT) Stock After Hours on Dec. 12, 2025: Record High, Nasdaq Move, Nasdaq-100 Watch

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ: WMT) ended Friday, December 12, 2025, with shares at $116.67 at the close (up about 1.0% on the day), then edged lower after the bell to $116.49 in after-hours trading (down about 0.18%) as of 5:54 p.m. market time. ^[1]

The move came as U.S. stocks sold off sharply—with the S&P 500 down about 1.1% and the Nasdaq down about 1.7%—as investors rotated away from mega-cap tech and AI-linked names. ^[2]

One important calendar note: December 13, 2025 is a Saturday, so U.S. stock markets are closed. The next regular U.S. equity session after Friday’s close is Monday, December 15, 2025.

Below is what investors and traders were focused on after the bell on 12/12/2025—and what to keep in mind heading into the next open.

Walmart stock price check: what happened after the bell on 12/12/2025

Friday close: $116.67 ^[3]
After-hours (as of 5:54 p.m.): $116.49 ^[4]

Walmart also printed a fresh high during Friday’s session, with the day’s range showing $115.02 to $116.95 (the top end matching the 52‑week high listed). ^[5]

Volume at the close: about 14.67 million shares on Dec. 12. ^[6]

Why that matters: after-hours moves of a few tenths of a percent often reflect light liquidity and position-adjusting into the weekend—especially after a new high print and ahead of index-related headlines.

Why Walmart outperformed while the broader market fell

Friday’s tape was dominated by a tech-led risk-off move. The Nasdaq fell about 1.7% and the S&P 500 dropped about 1.1%, according to end-of-day market coverage. ^[7]

Against that backdrop, Walmart’s resilience has been increasingly tied to two narratives showing up repeatedly in today’s coverage:

1) The Nasdaq listing switch is reinforcing a “tech-powered Walmart” thesis

Walmart’s move from the NYSE to Nasdaq is no longer just a footnote—it’s becoming part of the stock’s story.

Walmart previously announced it would transfer its listing to Nasdaq, keeping the ticker “WMT”, with trading expected to begin on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on December 9, 2025. ^[8]
The company framed the move as aligned with a “tech-powered” strategy, including automation and AI. ^[9]

A Nasdaq-hosted article published on Dec. 12 also emphasized that investors “won’t find Walmart” on the NYSE anymore and noted that Dec. 9 was its first day trading on Nasdaq, positioning the change as part of a technology-focused narrative. ^[10]

2) Nasdaq-100 inclusion speculation is driving “passive flow” talk — but timing is an issue

A big question in Friday’s news flow: When (or whether) Walmart gets added to the Nasdaq-100 Index.

Reuters reported that Nasdaq-100 changes were expected to be announced after the market close Friday with changes effective later in December—and specifically noted Walmart won’t be considered due to timing. ^[11]
Bloomberg News (via Bloomberg Law) said investors hoping for an immediate Nasdaq-100 add may be disappointed, because Walmart’s listing switch missed the cutoff date used by the index provider to compile needed market information (citing Jefferies’ head of index strategy). ^[12]

Even if the stock isn’t added in this reconstitution window, the discussion itself can keep attention (and options activity) elevated around the name—especially with Walmart now trading on a “tech-heavy” exchange and pushing AI/automation messaging.

The intraday record: what today’s “all-time high” headlines said

In an Investing.com company-news item published Dec. 12, Walmart shares were described as hitting an “all-time high” around $116.28, while highlighting the stock’s strong run over the past year. ^[13]

Because stocks can keep moving after an article publishes, it’s notable that the same day’s market data also shows the session range reaching $116.95, reinforcing that Friday was another “new high” moment for WMT. ^[14]

Analyst forecasts and price targets circulating on 12/12/2025

A major part of Friday’s bullish tone around WMT was the steady drumbeat of price-target increases and AI/tech-driven margin optimism.

The Dec. 12 Investing.com item summarized multiple analyst updates, including:

TD Cowen raising its target to $136
Tigress Financial Partners lifting its target to $130
RBC Capital raising its target to $123 and pointing to the benefits of Walmart’s “flywheel” model
UBS reiterating Buy with a $122 target after discussions at a global technology conference
BMO Capital reiterating Outperform with a $125 target following meetings with Walmart IR, with AI impact among the topics ^[15]

What to take from this (without hype):

The Street’s “Walmart as a defensive grocer” framing hasn’t disappeared—but increasingly, analysts are also modeling Walmart as a platform business (delivery scale, ads, automation, AI-enabled productivity). ^[16]
Multiple targets now sit above Friday’s close, which can support sentiment into pullbacks—though targets are opinions, not guarantees.

Dividend timing: a key “date effect” hitting right now

Another practical driver in the near term is dividend calendar mechanics.

Walmart announced earlier in 2025 it would pay fiscal 2026 dividends in four quarterly installments of $0.235, and the company listed Dec. 12, 2025 as a record date with the next payment on Jan. 5, 2026. ^[17]

Why this matters into the next session:

Once a stock goes ex-dividend, some investors who were holding purely for the dividend may rotate out.
That can contribute to minor post-record-date pressure—often subtle for mega-caps, but relevant when a stock is also sitting at fresh highs.

What to know before “market open 13.12.2025” (and the real next open)

Because Dec. 13, 2025 is Saturday, there is no U.S. equity market open that day.

So the actionable setup is: what to watch into Monday, Dec. 15, 2025.

1) Nasdaq-100 reshuffle headlines could land over the weekend

Reuters flagged the Nasdaq-100 reconstitution timing around Friday’s close and the effective date later in December—and said Walmart won’t be considered due to timing. ^[18]
Bloomberg News also highlighted the missed cutoff issue. ^[19]

Even if Walmart is excluded this round, the market may still trade:

index reshuffle winners/losers broadly, and
second-order implications (whether Walmart is “next in line” in a future rebalance).

2) Macro calendar: next week’s data is especially relevant for retailers

Retail and consumer names can react sharply to inflation and spending data. Two items to keep on the radar:

The U.S. Census Bureau noted that Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services (previously scheduled earlier) was rescheduled for release on Dec. 16, 2025. ^[20]
Reuters also emphasized that delayed U.S. economic data will give clues on labor conditions and retail trends after disruptions tied to a government shutdown. ^[21]

For Walmart, any data that changes expectations on consumer resilience, grocery inflation, or trade-down behavior can influence sentiment quickly.

3) Monday morning “risk mood” matters after Friday’s tech-led selloff

Friday’s market narrative centered on tech weakness and AI valuation anxiety (Broadcom was a key catalyst in broader market reporting). ^[22]
If index futures stabilize and tech rebounds Monday, Walmart could lag simply because investors rotate back into higher beta. If risk-off continues, Walmart often gets treated as a defensive compounder.

4) A near-term roadmap: the next confirmed Walmart catalyst date

Walmart’s corporate events calendar lists FY2026 Q4 earnings release on Feb. 19, 2026, with materials around 6 a.m. CT and a live call at 7 a.m. CT. ^[23]
That’s not an immediate driver for Monday, but it anchors the “next big fundamental checkpoint” investors will be modeling toward.

Levels and scenarios traders are watching (no hype, just context)

With WMT pressing new highs, the immediate question isn’t “is Walmart a good company?”—it’s how the stock behaves around crowded narratives:

If WMT holds above ~$115: That’s the general area of Friday’s low and recent reference zone; it suggests buyers are defending the breakout area. ^[24]
If WMT pushes back toward ~$117: That’s near the session peak zone; a clean break could keep momentum traders engaged, especially if Nasdaq-100 chatter stays alive. ^[25]
If WMT fades while the market rebounds: That would be consistent with a rotation back into tech/high beta after Friday’s selloff, rather than a Walmart-specific negative catalyst.

Bottom line: what investors should know right now

As of after-hours on Dec. 12, 2025, Walmart stock is effectively consolidating near record highs: $116.67 at the close and about $116.49 after hours.

The key storylines heading into the next session are:

Nasdaq listing switch continues to reinforce the “tech-powered omnichannel” re-rating narrative.
Nasdaq-100 inclusion speculation is a headline risk—though multiple reports indicate it may have to wait due to timing/cutoff mechanics.
Analyst target raises (up to the mid-$130s in the latest roundup) are feeding bullish sentiment.
Retail macro data next week (including the rescheduled U.S. retail sales release) can move the whole sector, including Walmart.

References

Walmart (WMT) Stock After Hours on Dec. 12, 2025: Record High, Nasdaq Move, Nasdaq-100 Watch — What to Know Before the Next Market Open