WMT vs AMZN: Walmart vs Amazon Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Walmart and Amazon are the two dominant forces in US retail, but they are increasingly different businesses. Walmart is a physical-first retailer building digital layers; Amazon is a technology-first company where cloud computing (AWS) and advertising generate the majority of operating profit. The comparison is as much tech vs retail as it is e-commerce vs e-commerce.
Use this WMT vs AMZN comparison to distinguish between a retail franchise digitising itself and a technology company that also runs the world's largest marketplace. Amazon's profit engine is cloud and ads; Walmart's is grocery dominance and membership. Both are quality compounders — the choice is between their different growth drivers.
AMZN holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. AMZN leads on both 1-year return (+14.39%) and forward P/E quality (25.64x vs 31.99x for WMT), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. AMZN leads on both revenue growth (19.60%) and operating margin (13.69%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +23.90% for WMT and +22.99% for AMZN.
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want the world's largest grocery and everyday essential retailer with defensive revenue characteristics
- Value Walmart+'s growing membership and advertising as durable high-margin layers
- Prefer a more defensive, lower-beta consumer staples-adjacent holding in a portfolio
- Believe Walmart's physical store network is an enduring advantage in omnichannel retail
- Want exposure to the world's largest cloud provider (AWS) combined with the dominant US marketplace
- Value advertising as a compounding high-margin revenue stream alongside cloud growth
- Prefer a technology-oriented holding that happens to also lead in e-commerce
- Are comfortable with higher near-term capex as Amazon invests heavily in AI infrastructure
| Metric | WMT | AMZN |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 53.2 | 62.0 |
| AI ranki | #344 | #149 |
| Latest closei | $107.14 | $258.51 |
| 1M returni | -4.63% | -5.19% |
| 6M returni | -13.11% | +18.07% |
| 1Y returni | +7.74% | +14.39% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | WMT | AMZN |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $10.62K (+6.2%) started 2025-09-04 | $10.97K (+9.7%) started 2025-09-04 |
| 5Y ago | $24.24K (+142.4%) started 2021-09-07 | $14.73K (+47.3%) started 2021-09-07 |
| 10Y ago | $60.93K (+509.3%) started 2016-09-06 | $65.54K (+555.4%) started 2016-09-06 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | WMT | AMZN |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $820.4B | $2.87T |
| Trailing P/Ei | 37.35 | 21.42 |
| Forward P/Ei | 31.99 | 25.64 |
| Price/Salesi | 1.14 | 3.49 |
| EV/Revenuei | 1.21 | 3.87 |
| Analyst targeti | $127.73 | $327.67 |
| Target upsidei | +23.90% | +22.99% |
| Metric | WMT | AMZN |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 5.90% | 19.60% |
| Earnings growthi | -9.10% | 242.30% |
| EPS growthi | -9.10% | +242.30% |
| FCF margini | +1.22% | +0.42% |
| Operating margini | 4.99% | 13.69% |
| Profit margini | 3.00% | 17.44% |
| ROIC proxyi | 22.31% | 30.56% |
| Return on equityi | 22.31% | 30.56% |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.96% | N/A |
| Betai | 0.60 | 1.45 |
| Debt/equityi | 70.38 | 45.62 |
| Current ratioi | 0.77 | 1.03 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.20 | 0.84 |
Over the past year, WMT and AMZN have moved barely in opposite directions (correlation of -0.07), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | WMT | AMZN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +6.15% | +9.69% |
| CAGRi | +6.16% | +9.70% | |
| Volatilityi | 25.92% | 34.34% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.19 | 0.31 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.26 | 0.49 | |
| Max drawdowni | 23.52% | 21.74% | |
| Current drawdowni | 20.16% | 8.98% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 6.92% | 8.76% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 9.36% | 10.39% | |
| Max daily dropi | 9.15% | 5.55% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 11.67% | 14.09% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +129.86% | +47.33% |
| CAGRi | +18.14% | +8.07% | |
| Volatilityi | 22.40% | 36.45% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.66 | 0.27 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.92 | 0.40 | |
| Max drawdowni | 25.74% | 55.73% | |
| Current drawdowni | 20.16% | 8.98% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 6.31% | 18.17% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 8.75% | 23.56% | |
| Max daily dropi | 11.38% | 14.05% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 19.49% | 20.35% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +414.79% | +555.39% |
| CAGRi | +17.82% | +20.70% | |
| Volatilityi | 22.12% | 33.11% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.65 | 0.60 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.95 | 0.88 | |
| Max drawdowni | 25.74% | 56.15% | |
| Current drawdowni | 20.16% | 8.98% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 6.25% | 12.85% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 8.65% | 18.18% | |
| Max daily dropi | 11.38% | 14.05% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 19.49% | 20.35% |
| Category | WMT | AMZN |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Walmart Inc. | Amazon.com, Inc. |
| Sector | Consumer Defensive | Consumer Cyclical |
| Industry | Discount Stores | Internet Retail |
| Core business | World's largest retailer by revenue. Operates Walmart US, Sam's Club, and Walmart International. Growing digital revenue streams include Walmart+ membership, Walmart Connect advertising, Walmart GoLocal delivery, and marketplace seller fees. | Global technology and retail company. Revenue pillars include North America e-commerce, International e-commerce, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). High-margin businesses include advertising, Prime, third-party seller services, and AWS. |
| Investor focus | Same-store sales growth, Walmart+ subscriber count, advertising revenue ramp (Walmart Connect), marketplace GMV growth, and margin improvement from higher-margin digital businesses. | AWS revenue growth and margin expansion, advertising revenue compounding, North America retail margin improvement, and AI infrastructure investment ROI. |
- World's largest physical store network with unmatched grocery and everyday essential distribution
- Walmart+ membership is building a recurring revenue stream comparable in concept to Amazon Prime
- Advertising and marketplace are high-margin growth layers on top of the core retail business
- AWS is the world's largest cloud provider — the dominant engine of Amazon's profitability
- Advertising is a $50B+ annual business with structurally high margins growing faster than core retail
- Prime ecosystem creates exceptional customer loyalty and unmatched logistics infrastructure
- Valuation has re-rated significantly higher — Walmart now trades at a premium multiple unusual for a traditional retailer
- International segment performance is uneven across markets
- E-commerce profitability remains a work in progress at the unit economics level
- Heavy AI and data center capex is compressing near-term free cash flow
- International e-commerce remains unprofitable in many markets
- Regulatory scrutiny of marketplace practices, logistics, and AWS market position
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