Why Is Walmart Stock Rising Premarket Today?

• Walmart stock will be included in the Nasdaq-100 and related indices on Jan. 20.
• Such inclusion triggers automatic buying from funds tracking the benchmark, leading to a surge in price.
• Walmart has largely rebounded from tariff-driven disruptions last year, with revenue growth improving in the last two quarters.

Walmart, Inc. shares rose by over 2% to $117 in early premarket trading on Monday, following the news about its inclusion in the coveted Nasdaq 100 list.

The stock exchange announced Friday that Walmart will replace drug retailer AstraZeneca Plc. in the Nasdaq-100 Index, the Nasdaq-100 Equal Weighted Index, and the Nasdaq-100 Ex-Tech Sector Index. The shuffle will happen at the start of trading on Jan. 20.

Inclusion in the index list generally prompts a surge in the stock price, as it triggers automatic buying from index funds and ETFs that track the benchmark. It also raises a company’s visibility and credibility with global investors and can attract more institutional ownership.

Walmart ported its stock from the New York Stock Exchange to Nasdaq, where it began trading on Dec. 9.

Retail’s Reaction

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for WMT was, however, ‘bearish’ as of early Monday, unchanged from the prior day. The stock has opened strongly in the new year, with nearly 3% month-to-date gains. Shares gained 22.3% over 2025, compared to the 16.4% gains in the benchmark S&P 500 index.

“$WMT More funds forced to buy I'm afraid next week, the good news just keeps on coming... $120 Inbound EOM (end of month),” a user posted, referring to the Nsadaq-100 inclusion news.

An expanded partnership with Google for AI features was also driving momentum for the stock on Monday.

Strong Fundamentals

The nation’s largest retail chain largely steadied itself last year after U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff rollout, which drove up costs, created widespread trade issues – particularly for retailers – and unsettled stock markets for much of the year.

Revenue growth has climbed in the recent quarter after bottoming out in Q1 2025 (see chart). In November, the company raised its annual net sales and adjusted profit for a second time in 2025 – a key bullish signal.
 

Currently, 40 of the 43 analysts covering Walmart have a ‘Buy’ or higher rating, while two rate it ‘Hold,’ and one rates it ‘Sell,’ according to Koyfin data. Their average price target of $122.23 implies a 6.7% upside to the stock’s last close.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

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