Shares in Walmart (WMT) stock are trading near the top of their 52-week range and above their 200-day simple moving average. The stock has performed well in 2025 amongst retailers, even competing well against e-commerce giant Amazon (AMZN). Further, the company’s strong performance has translated to market-beating investment returns, with Walmart outperforming the S&P 500 index for the past five years.

Compared to other dividend stocks, many analysts view WMT as one of the best options on the market. Its growth in the last decade is remarkable, and many forecast that growth to continue. With 2025 coming to a close, analysts are ranking their best dividend stock options to enter 2026. Does WMT rank highly on those lists?

Back in October, WMT hit a new ATH of $108 following its deal with OpenAI to connect Walmart shoppers to OpenAI’s ChatGPT software. Users of the AI bot will be able to press a buy button when the AI assistant’s algorithm surfaces one of the retailer’s products, allowing them to buy instantly. After seeing a slight dip in the days after that surge, shares have stabilized around $103 in the past 30 days.

Fortunately, Wall Street expects a strong climb in Walmart (WMT) shares by the end of this year. Per analysts at BTIG, Walmart’s integrated digital and physical strategy is “delivering value” to customers and shareholders. Additionally, CEO Doug McMillon has positioned the company for continued market share and profit gains despite macro pressures. As a result, BTIG has initiated a buy rating on WMT with a $120 price target.

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Furthermore, DA Davidson also reiterated its “Buy” rating for WMT, highlighting the potential of conversational AI to attract consumers and streamline shopping. While its stock value surges, Walmart’s market cap is also up, recently breaching $854 billion. Should the e-commerce giant’s market cap breach $1 trillion by the end of 2025, its stock could see a bump beyond price forecasts to $125.

According to CNN’s 1-year forecast for WMT stock, most experts are bullish, with 95% of 43 analysts surveyed suggesting buying the stock. CNN has a median price forecast of $115.00 for WMT, an 11% gain from current prices. On the high end, they forecast the stock could reach a high of $129.00 in the next 12 months.