Walmart Inc’s (NASDAQ:WMT) market capitalisation has exceeded $1 trillion, joining an exclusive group of companies, mostly dominated by tech giants.
The retailer giant reached this milestone on Tuesday, marking the completion of a rally in which its shares have more than doubled in the past two years, topping the blue-chip S&P 500 index.
E-Commerce Growth and Strategic Investments Fuel Walmart’s Expansion
Walmart has invested tens of billions into building a competitive e-commerce platform that rivals Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN).
Founded by Sam Walton with a single store in 1962, the company now operates nearly 11,000 stores globally, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
Walmart impressed analysts with its stronger sales, growing customer demand and early leadership in artificial intelligence during investor meetings in Bentonville in 2025.
AI Integration and Omnichannel Growth Drive Long-Term Confidence
Walmart signaled confidence in its long-term growth prospects backed by expanded omnichannel capabilities, increased private-label adoption.
Bank of America Securities analyst Robert Ohmes highlighted Walmart’s strong long-term prospects after the investor meetings, noting robust revenue and profit trends driven by scale and AI leadership.
He pointed out that Walmart’s AI agent, Sparky, has evolved from answering questions to taking action, positioning the company at the forefront of AI-driven commerce.
Consumer trends indicate steady growth in new customers, pharmacy expansion and private-label adoption, with grocery penetration in the mid-20% range.
The integration with Walmart's Spark driver network could potentially drive faster sales and return on investment compared to the core business.
Global Expansion and Competitive Edge in E-Commerce
Internationally, Walmart sees growth opportunities in Mexico, Canada, India and China, aiming to double e-commerce penetration from under 30%, with Sam's Club units generating $300–$400 million annually.
Analysts expect Walmart to report a fourth-quarter revenue of $190.32 billion and EPS of 72 cents on Feb. 19.
They expect Amazon to post a fourth-quarter revenue of $211.32 billion and EPS of and EPS of $1.97 on Feb. 5.
While Walmart's market value still lags behind Amazon’s $2.6 trillion valuation, the retailer has benefited from the investor interest in AI.
It has formed strategic partnerships with OpenAI and Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google to integrate its shopping services into their search chatbots.
Walmart now joins nine other U.S. public companies with a market cap above $1 trillion, with NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) leading the group at $4.5 trillion.
The retailer reached the $1 trillion milestone during its first week under the leadership of CEO John Furner, who succeeded Doug McMillon after his retirement over the weekend.
Reflecting its digital focus, Walmart recently switched its stock listing to the Nasdaq exchange and joined the Nasdaq-100 index.
As a leading U.S. goods importer, Walmart has faced challenges due to the Trump administration’s tariffs.
Walmart and its suppliers have absorbed two-thirds of the tariff costs, passing a third onto consumers, resulting in a 7% to 7.5% price increase for affected items, Jefferies told the FT.
WMT Price Action: Walmart shares were up 3.09% at $127.89 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data
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