Walmart Inc. (WMT)

Walmart's stock gained 23.3% in 2025, outperforming the S&P 500. Key events include its inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 Index, AI partnerships with Google/Alphabet and OpenAI, e-commerce growth driven by Walmart+, drone delivery expansion, insider confidence, the Vizio acquisition, AI-driven inventory management, a temporary e-commerce outage, and mixed analyst sentiment regarding valuation and consumer health.

Demand for Walmart's products exhibits seasonality, with surges during Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, the "Big Game," and Valentine's Day. Walmart uses AI-powered inventory management systems to predict demand and optimize inventory placement, considering historical sales data, seasonal patterns, and economic indicators.

Walmart Inc. is a multinational retailer operating hypermarkets, discount department stores, grocery stores, Sam's Club warehouses, and e-commerce platforms. Headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, it falls under the Consumer Staples sector, offering a wide range of products, including groceries, health and wellness items, technology, apparel, and home goods, along with services like fuel, financial services, and value-added services.

Walmart has over 10,750 stores and clubs across 19 countries, including the United States, Mexico, Canada, Chile, China, and several Central American and African nations. In India, Walmart operates through wholesale stores and e-commerce platforms in partnership with Flipkart.

Walmart's brand reputation was impacted by a $45 million price deception lawsuit settlement, a commitment to healthier food options, ranking as the most powerful U.S. retailer in Kantar's 2025 PowerRanking, brand system tweaks, and a local development dispute in Edmond, Oklahoma.

The Walton family holds a significant stake in Walmart, owning approximately 45% to 50.85% of the company. Major individual shareholders include Jim Walton, Alice Walton, Samuel Robson Walton, Doug McMillon, Greg Penner, and Suresh Kumar. Major institutional owners include The Vanguard Group, Inc., BlackRock, Inc., State Street Corp, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and Geode Capital Management, LLC.