How to buy Walmart shares (WMT)

By: James Knight

James is the lead content editor for Invezz, covering the stock market, cryptocurrency, and macroeconomic markets. Outside of work,… read more.

Updated: Jan 31, 2022

This guide is an introduction to Walmart and investing on the stock market. Get a brief history of the company and its recent performance, then take a look towards the future and find the best place to buy Walmart shares today.

Compare the best Walmart trading platforms

If you want to know where to buy Walmart shares, any one of the brokers below is a good place to start. We’ve reviewed all the top platforms so you can be confident that they’re all high quality options. Otherwise, keep reading to learn more.

Most Popular

1

Min. Deposit

$10

Promotion

User Score

10

Trade/invest in stocks with just $10

Deposit with ACA, Wire, Pay with my bank

Invest for dividends and get payout on stocks on Ex-Dividend day

Start Trading more info

Description:

eToro is a multi-asset investment platform with more than 2000 assets, including FX, stocks, ETF’s, indices and commodities. eToro users can connect with, learn from, and copy or get copied by other users. Buying stocks on eToro is free and you can invest with as little as $50.

Payment Methods

Bank Transfer, Wire Transfer

Full regulations list:

CySEC, FCA

Investoo Ltd is compensated if you access certain of the products or services offered by eToro USA LLC and/or eToro USA Securities Inc., as applicable. This compensation incentivizes Investoo Ltd to describe those products and services in favorable terms. Any testimonials contained in this communication may not be representative of the experience of other eToro customers and such testimonials are not guarantees of future performance or success.

2

Min. Deposit

$0

Promotion

User Score

9.3

$0 commission and $0 Options contract fees

Upgraded research with advanced charts

Smart Menus for faster trades

Start Trading more info

Description:

Firstrade is a leading online brokerage firm offering a full line of investment products and tools designed to help investors like you take control of your financial future. Since its founding in 1985, Firstrade has been committed to providing high value and quality services to help you reach your financial goals.

Payment Methods

Full regulations list:

How to buy Walmart stock, a step-by-step guide

This process is simple, so don’t worry even if you’re new to stock investing. These are the steps to follow in order to complete your investment:

1. Choose a broker. In order to invest in Walmart, you need to use an online brokerage platform. There are many different options to choose from, each with its own unique benefits and drawbacks. The comparison table above can help you select the right broker for you, and you can head to our comprehensive broker reviews if you’re still unsure.
2. Create an account. Once you’ve selected your broker, simply go to their website and create an account. The steps required for this will vary from platform to platform, but generally, you can expect to have to provide your name, email address, phone number, and some form of photo identification.
3. Deposit funds. Log into your broker account and select the option to deposit funds. Depending on your broker you’ll have a variety of payment options available; most brokers accept bank transfers and debit card payments, but not all accept e-wallets such as PayPal. Select your preferred payment method and deposit the amount of money you wish to invest in Walmart shares.
4. Place an order for WMT stock. Now navigate to the shares section on the platform you have chosen. (a link to this can be found in the menu on the website). Here you’ll be able to search for Walmart’s ticker symbol (WMT) and see the current price at which the stock is trading. If you’re happy with the price, enter the number of shares you wish to purchase and place your order.
5. Execute your order. Once you have placed your order, your broker will automatically execute it for you and your Walmart shares will be listed in your account. Congratulations, you’ve just bought shares in Walmart.

What is Walmart? And should I invest?

Walmart is an American retailer that owns supermarkets and grocery stores across the globe. Thanks to running more than 11,000 stores in 26 countries, it’s the largest company in the world by revenue.

A public company since 1972, Walmart was already the largest retailer in the US by 1990 and has continued to expand ever since. It’s paid a dividend for 48 straight years – every year it’s been public for those keeping count – increasing it every time.

Supermarket stocks like Walmart are defensive investments and a low-risk option. They might not see huge growth but people always need to buy food, even when the economy isn’t doing well. Walmart’s size and scope make it even more reliable, as its position as a market leader is secure.

How has the company performed in recent years?

Walmart did very well out of the pandemic, capping off a five year run of near constant growth. By the end of 2020 the share price was up 150% versus 2016, despite the period presenting several hurdles to overcome.

The most notable has been the rise of Amazon, whose impact has been felt across the retail sector. Walmart stores have traditionally been the go-to place for everyday essentials, particularly in the US, but that has come under threat as more people have used a couple of clicks and next-day delivery to get what they need instead.

Walmart is nothing if not resilient, however. The scale of its business is huge – annual revenue is above $500bn – and despite that pressure it has been able to keep growing. The pandemic actually helped, as it was able to remain open and become a one-stop hub for everything once again.

Is it a good time to buy Walmart shares now?

It’s usually been a good time to buy. Walmart is ideal for long term investors, particularly those looking for top of the range, blue-chip stocks to minimise risk. Despite Amazon, it remains dominant in the US retail sector and is branching out into new areas as well.

In fact, Walmart is undergoing a mini-transformation. It’s sold off most of its stake in Asda in the UK and Seiyu in Japan in favour of spending more on the US, China, and India. The e-commerce arm has been reorganised to fight back against the power of Amazon and it’s even delving into the world of online banking. 

It’s scale and reach mean it’s already in a good place to start offering new services but there are no guarantees. Other supermarkets have struggled with the banking sector in particular, so it’s worth following the latest market analysis to see how it’s going:

Buying, selling and trading shares for beginners

What to do before buying shares

You should always take the time to research a stock fully before investing your money, especially if you haven’t bought shares before. The more knowledge you have, the better your chances of making a wise investment. 

With that in mind, here’s a checklist to run through before investing in Walmart shares.

1. Research the company. You should always examine the fundamentals of a company before investing. What is Walmart? How did the company get its start? How did it grow? Is Walmart’s revenue and profit growth picking up? Is the company innovating? The more you know about Walmart, the better positioned you’ll be to make smart investment decisions.
2. Make sure you understand the basics of stock investing. Before getting involved in the stock market, make sure you have an understanding of how it works. This will ensure that you have more clearly defined goals and have thought through how you will achieve them.
3. Decide between share dealing and CFD trading. Choose the type of investment strategy you want to pursue, and make sure you have carried out the necessary fundamental or technical analysis for share dealing and CFD trading respectively.
4. Set the size of your budget. The golden rule of investing is never to risk more than you can afford to lose. Not every investment you make will result in a profit, so it is important to set a budget that not only allows good potential for capital growth, but also protects against overly damaging losses.
5. Find the right broker. Individual brokers each have their own pros and cons. Some will have low fees but have a user interface you struggle to understand, whereas others may be a bit more expensive but come with a range of features that you want to take advantage of. Our reviews can help you find the right broker platform or app.
6. Examine broader market conditions. No stock exists in a vacuum, and it’s always important to analyse the general trends of the stock market as a whole before investing. If a bear market is setting in and stock prices are falling, it’s best to wait it out and invest your money later when the stock is cheaper. If, however, the market is looking bullish, you’ll want to make your investment quickly to get the maximum benefit from rising stock prices. Our latest news can help you keep on top of movements in the financial markets.

What is the difference between buying, selling, and trading shares?

If you’re new to stock investing, then it’s important to understand the basics of how to buy, sell, and trade Walmart shares. Here’s a quick run-through of what’s involved in each.

Buying Walmart

This process involves finding a broker and placing an order, as outlined in the steps further up this page. Ideally, you want to time your investment when the stock’s price is low so that you can profit by selling the shares after they increase in value.

Selling Walmart

When you sell any Walmart shares you have bought, you’ll want to do so at a higher price than the one at which you bought to earn a profit. 

When you sell is up to you. You might decide to hold for a long period of time, hoping to benefit from the company growing steadily throughout. Or, if you see that Walmart’s stock is already up a lot compared to the price you bought it and you’ve noticed that the stock market is starting to fall, it might make sense to sell and take your profits to invest elsewhere. Equally, if the stock has fallen since you bought it and looks set to fall further, it might be a good idea to cut your losses by selling your shares.

Trading Walmart

Trading is the same process as buying and selling shares, it’s just done over shorter periods of time with the aim to make small profits on a regular basis. This means that you can make money faster and spend your profits in your day-to-day life – however, on the other side it means you can lose money faster as well. For inexperienced investors, we generally recommend making investments for at least 6 months to a year instead of making trades in quick succession.

You can trade Walmart shares through buying and selling shares, or by trading with CFDs. These allow investors to speculate on stock prices and trade with leverage in pursuit of bigger gains. CFDs trading is explained further in the next section, but it is worth noting that beginners should avoid trading with leverage. It comes with large risks and is best left to experienced investors.

Share dealing vs CFD trading

When it comes to investing in any stock, the two options you have are share dealing and trading. Which one of these methods to opt for largely depends on your investment timeline, with investors thinking long term tending to go for share dealing, and those looking for short term gains pursuing a more aggressive trading strategy.

Here’s a quick summary of the two approaches, and the pros and cons of each.

Share dealing 

Share dealing refers to the practice of buying and holding shares in a particular company over the long term. When investing like this, you’re seeking to profit either from dividend payments or an increase in the stock’s price over time.

When investing your money this way, it is important to do thorough fundamental analysis of the company in which you are investing. You want to put your money in a stock you believe will trend upwards over time, even if there is some market volatility along the way, rather than get distracted by shorter term peaks and troughs.

Pros

• Can build wealth over time to achieve financial goals
• Don’t need to be very reactive to short-term market movements
• Some stocks will give you an income through regular dividend payments

Cons

• Takes a long time to realise any profits
• Your capital is tied up in stocks and cannot be used for other investments

CFD Trading 

If your aim is to generate profits in the short term, then you might be better off trading shares than holding them in your portfolio. Stock trades like this are executed using CFDs (contracts for difference), which allow investors to trade against the value of a stock without having to take ownership of it. When CFD trading, investors are looking to buy and sell stocks fast to profit from short-term fluctuations in value.

One aspect of CFD trading that many investors find attractive is that they allow you to trade with leverage. This means you can place large trades while only putting up a fraction of the value yourself – for instance, if a platform offered leverage of 1:10, you could put £10 into WMT shares and be able to trade £100 worth. This can maximise profits if the market moves in your favour, but be careful as it can also lead to heavy losses.

When trading using CFDs, it is key to be skilled at technical analysis and reading stock price charts. As you’re trading stocks quickly and frequently, the fundamental strength of the company in which you’re investing isn’t as important as being able to predict how its stock price will rise and fall minute-by-minute.

Pros

• Can generate fast profits if you read the market right 
• Some platforms allow you to trade with leverage
• Prevents your capital being tied up so you can take advantage of investment opportunities

Cons

• Trading with leverage is risky and can lead to big losses
• Doesn’t necessarily generate growth over the long term

Consider which approach suits you best and craft an investment strategy that works for you. If you need more information, then simply take our course on how to trade stocks.

If neither of these options appeal to you, then you can find a variety of other ways to invest in WMT stock on this page. If, however, you’re ready to invest now, simply select one of the brokers in the table above and get started. 

How to choose a broker

With the wide variety of online brokers available these days, it can be hard to figure out which is the best service to go with. Our comparison table and in-depth reviews can help you cut through the noise, but by and large these are the aspects you should be considering when selecting a broker:

• Range of stocks available. The most important thing is that you can actually use the broker to buy the shares you’re looking for. Some brokers offer more stocks than others, and many will allow you to trade other assets, such as commodities.
• Fees and commissions. You want to keep as large a chunk of your profits as you can, so it’s important to make sure your broker doesn’t charge high fees that can eat into your profits.
• Regulation. You should only use regulated brokers to place trades and buy shares. Unregulated brokers can be risky and offer little to no protection if the business were to fail while you had funds in your account.
• Payment methods available. You might want to buy Walmart shares using a specific payment method, such as PayPal. Not all brokers accept every payment method, but using our comparisons you can search only the brokers that support the option you’re looking for.
• Reputation. One of the strongest indicators of a broker’s reliability is the reputation it has with the customers who have used it. Brokers are online businesses, and as such many user experiences can be found online. You can check these out in addition to our reviews to make sure you choose the right platform.
• Customer service. As you’re going to be investing your money using the platform, you want to check that the broker offers good customer service in case you have a query or something goes wrong.