Walmart IPO

About Walmart IPO

Walmart went public on October 1, 1970 at 16.50 per share. Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, Walmart had 38 stores in 5 states at the time of the IPO. The IPO raised 3.3 million. Walton, who drove a pickup truck and lived modestly, became one of the richest people in America. Walmart stock split 11 times. A 1,000 dollar investment at IPO would be worth millions today. Walmart pioneered supply chain management, barcode scanning, and big box retail. It became the largest company in the world by revenue and the largest private employer. The Walton family remains among the wealthiest families globally.