Walmart has been on fire this year. How high earners are driving the stock higher

From a pop-up store in New York's Soho to wider aisles, Walmart is doubling down on its effort to court high-income shoppers as rising inflation pushes even wealthy consumers to seek value — giving investors in the stock an edge. Shares of Walmart are up a whopping 16.8% for 2026 through Wednesday's close, more than doubling the S & P 500's 7.6% advance in that time. Walmart's surge for the year is also more than five times the S & P 500 consumer discretionary sector's 3.2% uptick. …