Stocks / WMT
What If You Had Invested in Walmart 10 Years Ago?
Walmart Inc. (WMT) with real monthly prices, dividends reinvested, through November 2026.
WMT $127.72 ▼ -1.12% last close, Nov 05, 2026
If you had invested $1,000 in WMT in November 2016, today it would be worth
$6,429
Same $1,000 in the S&P 500 (SPY): $3,895
If you had put $500 a month into WMT since November 2016, your $60,500 would be worth today
$187,079
Same plan in the S&P 500 (SPY): $128,888
More options in the What If calculator.
WMT live price chart
WMT returns by period
| Period | Total return | Per year | $1,000 became | SPY per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2026 | $0.2480 | +0.0% | ||
| May 08, 2026 | $0.2480 | +0.0% | ||
| Mar 20, 2026 | $0.2480 | +5.5% | ||
| Dec 12, 2025 | $0.2350 | +0.0% | ||
| Aug 15, 2025 | $0.2350 | +0.0% | ||
| May 09, 2025 | $0.2350 | +0.0% | ||
| Mar 21, 2025 | $0.2350 | +13.0% | ||
| Dec 13, 2024 | $0.2080 | +0.0% | ||
| Aug 16, 2024 | $0.2080 | +0.0% | ||
| May 09, 2024 | $0.2080 | +0.0% | ||
| Mar 14, 2024 | $0.2080 | +9.5% | ||
| Dec 07, 2023 | $0.1900 | — |
WMT year by year
Best full year: 1975 (+178.8%). Worst: 1973 (-61.7%).
| Year | WMT | SPY | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +15.4% | +8.3% | |
| 2025 | +24.5% | +17.7% | |
| 2024 | +74.0% | +24.9% | Growth in online sales and advertising sent the stock up about 70%. |
| 2023 | +12.9% | +26.2% | |
| 2022 | -0.5% | -18.2% | |
| 2021 | +2.0% | +28.7% | |
| 2020 | +23.3% | +18.3% | |
| 2019 | +30.2% | +31.2% | |
| 2018 | -3.4% | -4.6% | |
| 2017 | +46.6% | +21.7% | |
| 2016 | +16.0% | +12.0% | |
| 2015 | -26.6% | +1.2% | |
| 2014 | +11.9% | +13.5% | |
| 2013 | +18.2% | +32.3% | |
| 2012 | +17.0% | +16.0% | |
| 2011 | +13.8% | +1.9% | |
| 2010 | +3.2% | +15.1% | |
| 2009 | -2.6% | +26.4% | |
| 2008 | +20.0% | -36.8% | Walmart's stock rose during the financial crisis as shoppers traded down to cheaper stores. |
| 2007 | +4.9% | +5.1% |
WMT: all at once or every month?
Take $12,000: all of it on day one, or $1,000 a month for a year. Across every starting month since 1972 (640 of them), the lump sum was ahead after 12 months in 461 (72%). The lump sum usually won, but roughly one start in 4 favored spreading it out. The best case for monthly investing was a start in February 1973, when it finished the year 56% ahead.
Worst drop
WMT's worst fall in this history was -72.5%, a near wipe-out, from December 1972 to December 1974. Getting back to the old high took until September 1977: 33 months from the bottom and 4.8 years from the peak. $1,000 invested at that peak shrank to about $275 at the low.
Walmart dividends
WMT paid $0.98 per share over the last 12 months, quarterly. At $127.72 that is 0.77%, a small yield; nearly all of the return has come from the price. From 2020 to 2025 the yearly payout grew +5.5% a year, steadily. The yearly total did not fall once in the last ten years. Amounts are adjusted for splits.
| Year | Dividends / share | Change | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $0.94 | +13.0% | 0.84% |
| 2024 | $0.83 | +9.5% | 0.92% |
| 2023 | $0.76 | +1.8% | 1.45% |
| 2022 | $0.75 | +1.9% | 1.58% |
| 2021 | $0.73 | +1.8% | 1.52% |
| 2020 | $0.72 | +1.9% | 1.50% |
| 2019 | $0.71 | +2.0% | 1.78% |
| 2018 | $0.69 | +1.9% | 2.23% |
| 2017 | $0.68 | +2.0% | 2.07% |
| 2016 | $0.67 | +2.1% | 2.89% |
Yield = each year’s dividends divided by the price at the end of the year.
WMT dividend history: last 12 payments
| Ex-dividend date | Amount | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2026 | $0.2480 | +0.0% |
| May 08, 2026 | $0.2480 | +0.0% |
| Mar 20, 2026 | $0.2480 | +5.5% |
| Dec 12, 2025 | $0.2350 | +0.0% |
| Aug 15, 2025 | $0.2350 | +0.0% |
| May 09, 2025 | $0.2350 | +0.0% |
| Mar 21, 2025 | $0.2350 | +13.0% |
| Dec 13, 2024 | $0.2080 | +0.0% |
| Aug 16, 2024 | $0.2080 | +0.0% |
| May 09, 2024 | $0.2080 | +0.0% |
| Mar 14, 2024 | $0.2080 | +9.5% |
| Dec 07, 2023 | $0.1900 | — |
Stock splits
- August 1975: 2-for-1
- December 1980: 2-for-1
- July 1982: 2-for-1
- July 1983: 2-for-1
- October 1985: 2-for-1
- July 1987: 2-for-1
- July 1990: 2-for-1
- February 1993: 2-for-1
- April 1999: 2-for-1
- February 2024: 3-for-1
One share bought before 1975 is 1536 shares today.
About Walmart
| Company | Walmart Inc. |
| Listed | 1970 (NYSE from 1972, Nasdaq since December 2025) |
| Sector | Consumer staples (retail) |
| Dividend | Raised every year for 50+ years |
Walmart is the largest retailer in the world. Its low-price model tends to win customers when budgets are tight, which makes the stock relatively defensive.
After years as a slow mover, Walmart's online business and advertising growth drove a strong run in the 2020s. It split its stock 3-for-1 in February 2024. Walmart moved its listing from the NYSE to the Nasdaq in December 2025.
Questions about WMT
How much would $10,000 invested in WMT 20 years ago be worth today?
About $124,055 with dividends reinvested, invested at the November 2006 close: 1140.6% in total, or 13.4% a year.
When does WMT pay dividends?
In the last 12 months the payments went out in March, May, August and December, $0.98 per share in total.
Did WMT beat the S&P 500?
Yes. Over the last 20 years it was ahead by 2.8 percentage points a year: +13.4% a year for WMT against +10.6% for SPY, dividends reinvested. It also fell harder at its worst (-72.5% against -50.8% for SPY over the same history).