As everybody today knows, Wal-Mart’s stock performance, and the wealth it has created, is a story in itself. Just fifteen years ago, the market value of the company was around $135 million; today it’s over $50 billion. But here’s a better way to look at it: let’s say you bought 100 shares back in that original public offering, for $1,650. Since then, we’ve had nine two-for-one stock splits, so you would have 51,200 shares today. Within the last year, it’s traded at right under $60 a share. So your investment would have been worth right around $3 million at that price.
