Walmart's sustained investment in logistics, fulfillment and product selection has translated into meaningful market share gains against Amazon in recent years, according to a Motley Fool analysis published September 25. The assessment positions the Bentonville retailer as arguably the strongest e-commerce performer of the period, a shift that reframes the competitive dynamic in U.S. online retail.
The logistics investment thesis
The analysis attributes Walmart's gains to a multi-year build-out of supply-chain infrastructure rather than a single catalyst. By integrating stores as fulfillment nodes and expanding delivery capacity, the company has narrowed the convenience gap that once defined Amazon's advantage. The source does not quantify the share movement in percentage points, nor does it specify the exact period over which the gains accrued beyond describing them as "recent years."
The numbers behind the claim
Stock prices cited in the piece reflect afternoon levels on September 23, 2026. The Motley Fool discloses positions in both Walmart and Amazon, and analyst Parkev Tatevosian holds a personal position in Amazon. The firm's Stock Advisor service, which tracks its own recommendations against the S&P 500, reports a 936% average return since inception versus 213% for the index as of September 25, 2026. Those figures include historical picks such as Netflix from December 2004 and Nvidia from April 2005, which the service cites as $1,000 investments growing to $386,781 and $1,379,943 respectively.
The counter-narrative from Stock Advisor
Despite the positive read on Walmart's trajectory, Amazon did not appear on the Stock Advisor's current list of ten best stocks to buy now. The omission sits alongside the service's own disclosure that it recommends both companies. The discrepancy underscores the difference between a retrospective assessment of execution and a forward-looking portfolio construction.
What to watch next
The next test is whether Walmart's fulfillment economics sustain the share trajectory as Amazon continues to expand same-day delivery and third-party seller services. Investors will also monitor whether the Stock Advisor's exclusion of Amazon from its top-ten list precedes a period of underperformance or simply reflects a valuation discipline that has historically favored earlier-stage compounders.