What if you'd held WMT?
A $1,000 investment in Walmart Inc. (WMT) at the month-end close of 1972-08 would be worth $10.27M at the close of 2026-08 — +1026854.2% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $69,385.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included. Click any year for the full story.
Every year, $1,000 from 1972
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | $1,000 | — |
| 1973 | $388 | -61.3% |
| 1974 | $278 | -28.4% |
| 1975 | $770 | +177.5% |
| 1976 | $915 | +18.8% |
| 1977 | $1,207 | +31.9% |
| 1978 | $1,370 | +13.5% |
| 1979 | $2,023 | +47.6% |
| 1980 | $3,724 | +84.1% |
| 1981 | $5,320 | +42.9% |
| 1982 | $12,566 | +136.2% |
| 1983 | $19,730 | +57.0% |
| 1984 | $19,265 | -2.4% |
| 1985 | $32,602 | +69.2% |
| 1986 | $47,736 | +46.4% |
| 1987 | $53,603 | +12.3% |
| 1988 | $65,032 | +21.3% |
| 1989 | $93,530 | +43.8% |
| 1990 | $126,740 | +35.5% |
| 1991 | $247,617 | +95.4% |
| 1992 | $270,162 | +9.1% |
| 1993 | $212,011 | -21.5% |
| 1994 | $181,431 | -14.4% |
| 1995 | $191,501 | +5.6% |
| 1996 | $197,428 | +3.1% |
| 1997 | $344,943 | +74.7% |
| 1998 | $715,979 | +107.6% |
| 1999 | $1.22M | +70.4% |
| 2000 | $942,328 | -22.8% |
| 2001 | $1.03M | +8.9% |
| 2002 | $905,869 | -11.8% |
| 2003 | $957,810 | +5.7% |
| 2004 | $962,666 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | $863,536 | -10.3% |
| 2006 | $864,682 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | $906,973 | +4.9% |
| 2008 | $1.09M | +20.0% |
| 2009 | $1.06M | -2.6% |
| 2010 | $1.09M | +3.2% |
| 2011 | $1.25M | +13.8% |
| 2012 | $1.46M | +17.0% |
| 2013 | $1.72M | +18.2% |
| 2014 | $1.93M | +11.9% |
| 2015 | $1.41M | -26.6% |
| 2016 | $1.64M | +16.0% |
| 2017 | $2.4M | +46.6% |
| 2018 | $2.32M | -3.4% |
| 2019 | $3.02M | +30.2% |
| 2020 | $3.73M | +23.3% |
| 2021 | $3.8M | +2.0% |
| 2022 | $3.78M | -0.5% |
| 2023 | $4.27M | +12.9% |
| 2024 | $7.43M | +74.0% |
| 2025 | $9.25M | +24.5% |
| 2026 | $9.53M | +3.0% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought WMT was 1974-12 ($0.00333): $1,000 then is $34.32M today. The worst was 2026-04 ($132): $1,000 then is $868.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in WMT be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Walmart Inc. (WMT) at the start of 1972 would be worth about $10.27M today, a total return of +1026854.2%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for WMT?
Walmart Inc. (WMT)'s strongest calendar year since 1972 was 1975, a +177.5% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,775 by year-end. Its weakest year was 1973, at -61.3%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in WMT have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1972-08 would have grown to about $123.01M on $64,900 invested.
Did WMT beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $69,385. WMT beat the S&P 500 by +14700.8% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. What If I'd Held is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Walmart Inc. (WMT) historical total-return data from 1972-08 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices from Yahoo Finance historical data — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends — the same convention used by major brokerages. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (Yahoo Finance): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. What If I'd Held is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.