WMT drawdown: 18.4% below the all-time high
Walmart Inc. (WMT) is 18.4% below its all-time high, set May 19, 2026 (as of market close, Jul 24, 2026). The chart shows every day as a percentage of the highest level reached up to that point: 100% means a fresh record, everything below is a drawdown. "All-time" means since our price data begins (1972).
- Below all-time high
- −18.4%
- 81.6% of ATH
- All-time high
- $134.2
- May 19, 2026
- Time below the high
- 2 mo
- since May 19, 2026
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −77.2%
- Dec 10, 1974
- Longest underwater
- 12.5 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- Nov 28, 2025
- 8 mo ago
- Last time this deep
- Apr 8, 2025
- in a previous episode
% of all-time high since 1972#
The classic underwater chart (drawdown curve), drawn as % of the all-time high — 100% is a fresh record, everything below it is time spent underwater.
% of all-time high on the price basis — the all-time high considers the full history of WMT, including years before the visible window. Dividends are excluded on this basis (the convention headlines use).
The deepest drawdowns on record#
Every decline of 15% or more from an all-time high (price basis), deepest first.
| Peak | Trough | Depth | Peak → trough | Recovered by | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 27, 1972 | Dec 10, 1974 | −77.2% | 2.0 yrs | Oct 6, 1977 | 4.9 yrs |
| Aug 21, 1987 | Dec 3, 1987 | −50.6% | 3 mo | Jul 21, 1989 | 1.9 yrs |
| Mar 10, 1993 | Jan 18, 1996 | −43.4% | 2.9 yrs | Jul 2, 1997 | 4.3 yrs |
| Dec 27, 1999 | Sep 10, 2007 | −39.1% | 7.7 yrs | Jun 29, 2012 | 12.5 yrs |
| Jan 8, 2015 | Nov 13, 2015 | −37.6% | 10 mo | Nov 10, 2017 | 2.8 yrs |
| Jul 22, 1983 | Feb 8, 1984 | −31.9% | 7 mo | Aug 3, 1984 | 12 mo |
| Jul 16, 1990 | Oct 17, 1990 | −31.0% | 3 mo | Feb 11, 1991 | 7 mo |
| Oct 12, 1978 | Nov 14, 1978 | −29.6% | 33 days | Aug 15, 1979 | 10 mo |
Price basis (no dividends) — the convention crash histories use. With dividends reinvested, recoveries arrive years earlier; switch the basis on the chart above to see it.
Drawdown vs what came next#
One dot per month since 1972: how far WMT stood below its all-time high, and the total return over the following 1, 5 and 10 years.
Read this with survivorship bias in mind: WMT is on this chart precisely because it survived — the many stocks that fell this far and never recovered (or were delisted) aren't on anyone's chart, so past recoveries here say little about the odds ahead. Monthly windows also overlap heavily (they are not independent samples). Not investment advice.
FAQ
- How far is WMT from its all-time high?
- WMT is currently 18.4% below its all-time high, set May 19, 2026 (as of market close, Jul 24, 2026). Prices only, the convention headlines use; with dividends reinvested the gap is usually smaller.
- What was the biggest WMT drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 1972) took the stock 77.2% below its prior high, bottoming Dec 10, 1974. The table on this page lists every major episode with its peak, trough and recovery date.
Methodology & related#
Daily closing prices since 1972 (split-adjusted). "All-time" means since our price data begins — WMT may have traded earlier. For a 150-year index drawdown record see the S&P 500 drawdown page. The price basis excludes dividends; the total-return basis reinvests them; the real basis additionally deflates by CPI. See also returns by year, 150 years of returns and the rolling-returns explorer. Past performance does not predict future returns; not investment advice.