Olivia Munson, USA TODAY
·2 min read
Since opening in 1962 inRogers, Arkansas, Walmart has grown to approximately 10,500 stores and Sam's clubs in 24 countries, according to its corporate website.
What started as a small shop has grown to a massive company that lives by the slogan, "Save Money. Live Better."Today, the retail chainoffers products in various departments, such as home and furniture, grocery and electronics.
But from its humble beginnings in the American South, has the ownership of Walmart since changed?
Sam Walton was the founder of Walmart, but who owns Walmart today?
Who owns Walmart?
The Walton family is still the major shareholder of Walmart Inc. The children ofWalmart founder Sam Walton ownabout half of all Walmart shares, according to official company documents.
The current CEO and president of Walmart Inc. isDoug McMillon, who assumed the position in 2014, according to his biography on Walmart'swebsite.
John Furner is the CEO and president of Walmart U.S., where he oversees the nation's4,700 stores, as well as its website, app and supply chain, according tohis biography on Walmart'swebsite.
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Is Walmart owned by China?
No, Walmart is not owned by China, nor has it been sold toa Chinese investment group.
According toUSA TODAY fact check, a claim thatWalmart hadbeen sold to a Chinese firm was proven false.On Jan. 2 2021, a Facebook post claimed a Chinesebusiness groupbought out America’s largest retailer. This is untrue.
As previously mentioned, the Walton familystill holds the majority of shares of Walmart, and theremainder of shares are "widely distributed across the marketplace, with no single entity holding more than theapproximately 5% held by Vanguard," according to the fact check.
Who is the largest shareholder of Walmart?
The largest shareholder of Walmart is the Walton family, who owns more than half of all Walmart shares. The second largest shareholder in Walmart is the VanguardGroup, who holds around 5% of total Walmart shares.
Walmart became a publicly traded company in 1970, and itsfirst stock was sold at $16.50 per share, according to its corporate website.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who owns Walmart? A look at the company's biggest shareholders.
