Walmart Nasdaq-100 Inclusion Sends Stock to Record

Walmart Nasdaq-100 inclusion pushed the company's stock to an all-time closing high on January 12, 2026, after Nasdaq Global Indexes confirmed Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT) will join the Nasdaq-100 on January 20. The announcement coincided with Walmart’s AI commerce partnership with Google's Gemini.

Record Close and Nasdaq-100 Inclusion

Shares closed at $117.97, up 3.0% for the session, and reached an intraday high of $118.84, marking the highest closing price since records began on January 21, 1972. The stock’s 52-week gain stands at 29.5%, rising from $91.53 on January 13, 2025, and it is up 6.4% year to date. Investors factored in Walmart’s strategic moves toward technology and the anticipated index rebalancing.

Nasdaq Global Indexes announced on January 10 that Walmart would join the Nasdaq-100, replacing AstraZeneca. Walmart met Nasdaq’s criteria, including a minimum $5.0 million daily traded value, over 200,000 shares traded daily, and a free float exceeding 10%. Analysts estimate that index-tracking funds could direct up to $19.0 billion of inflows into Walmart shares. This follows Walmart’s transfer of its listing from the New York Stock Exchange to Nasdaq in December 2025.

Walmart’s third-quarter results provide a financial backdrop: revenue rose 5.8% year over year to $179.5 billion, U.S. comparable sales excluding fuel increased 4.5%, and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) beat consensus at $0.62 versus $0.60. Net income grew 34% to $6.1 billion, and global e-commerce sales jumped 27.0%. Management raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $2.58 to $2.63 and expects net sales growth of roughly 5.0% at the midpoint.

AI Partnership and Strategic Positioning

Walmart announced a partnership with Alphabet’s Google to integrate Gemini AI using a Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard for agent-led commerce. This integration allows Gemini to surface Walmart and Sam’s Club products with direct purchase options in response to shopping queries, such as camping equipment. Research cited by Walmart shows AI-agent referrals convert nine times more frequently than social media referrals, a dynamic the company aims to leverage to drive discovery into its checkout flow.

Incoming CEO John Furner, part of the leadership transition from Doug McMillon, said, "The transition from traditional web or app search to agent-led commerce represents the next great evolution in retail."

Walmart’s market capitalization stood at approximately $944.2 billion midday on January 12, ranking it the 11th most valuable U.S. company. The Nasdaq-100 inclusion, AI partnership, and solid sales and margin trends reflect Walmart’s strategic shift toward becoming a technology-enabled retailer. This positioning, combined with index rebalancing mechanics, may sustain demand as funds adjust portfolios ahead of the January 20 effective date.