1 Stock I Plan to Load Up On in 2026

By Stefon Walters – Mar 18, 2026 at 1:15AM ESTKey PointsWalmart is expanding beyond just physical retail sales.Walmart's e-commerce and advertising businesses are growing faster than its retail business.A new tech-forward approach should increase Walmart's competitiveness.The economy operates in cycles. Sometimes consumers have cash to spend frivolously, and sometimes they check their budget before every purchase. In either case, Walmart (WMT 0.75%) captures a decent amount of this spending. Up until the end of its last fiscal year, Walmart was the highest-revenue-generating public company in the world (Amazon currently holds the title). Walmart's stock has performed well over the past 12 months, up nearly 44% (as of March 16). Although that run has put the stock firmly in expensive territory (its price-to-earnings ratio is 46), it's a stock I plan to load up on this year. Image source: The Motley Fool. Sales in its physical stores will always be Walmart's bread and butter, but I'm excited about the progress the company has been making outside of in-store retail sales. In its last fiscal year (ended Jan. 31), e-commerce sales were up, its global advertising business grew revenue by 46%, and revenue from its membership subscription (Walmart+) continued to grow. ExpandNASDAQ: WMTWalmartToday's Change(-0.75%) $-0.95Current Price$125.04Key Data PointsMarket Cap$997BDay's Range$124.86 - $127.1952wk Range$79.81 - $134.69Volume700KAvg Vol31MGross Margin23.41%Dividend Yield0.75% Retail is obviously a great business for Walmart, but segments like advertising and memberships provide Walmart with higher-margin businesses and recurring revenue streams that you don't see with general retail. They also have higher growth opportunities because they can scale quickly and aren't limited by physical shelf space. The once-boring Walmart is now coming into the digital age and embracing a more tech-forward approach. It's a stock that I plan to add to and hold for quite some time.Read NextMar 17, 2026 •By Daniel SparksWalmart Stock: Buy, Sell, or Hold?Mar 16, 2026 •By Geoffrey SeilerPredictions Markets Are Pointing to a Potential Recession. 3 Stocks to Buy.Mar 16, 2026 •By Lawrence NgaIs Walmart a Recession-Proof Stock?Mar 16, 2026 •By Marc GubertiThe Smartest Dividend Stock to Buy With $3,000 Right NowMar 15, 2026 •By Jennifer SaibilTop 2 Retail Growth Stocks to Buy After Amazon's Latest Sell-OffMar 14, 2026 •By Lawrence NgaThe Walmart Metric to Watch in 2026About the AuthorStefon Walters is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering publicly traded companies across technology, consumer goods, and financials, as well as retirement planning. Stefon is a published author and has more than a decade of experience teaching financial literacy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.TMFStefonWStocks MentionedWalmartNASDAQ: WMT$125.08(-0.72%)-$0.91AmazonNASDAQ: AMZN$215.20(+1.63%)+$3.46*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.