The market this year has experienced a series of unexpected surprises — one of which being the consistency of Walmart’s (NYSE:$WMT) stock prices.

Year to date, Walmart’s shares have increased an impressive 17%, much higher than Dow Jones Industrial Average’s 8% increase. What’s important to note about this particular rise is the fact that Walmart has been around for awhile now. The company isn’t exactly a startup that is experiencing sudden gains in sales and profiting because it has come up with a great innovation. Walmart is, instead, one of the world’s largest retailers with more than 4,700 stores in the U.S. alone and steady quarterly reports of sales and profits.

As such, it is more than just looking at financials to determine the answer of why Walmart shares have been doing so well. In fact, finance is only a small part of Walmart’s sudden rise. When two key Walmart execs visited the team at online financial news site TheStreet, it was revealed that while Walmart’s recent success is attributed to many things, the main takeaway was that the company itself is no longer the same. For companies that have been around for a long time, this is welcomed news for investors. This is because a company that is willing to change for the better is more likely to succeed.

Now, Walmart is determined to restore its former glory with expansions and growth that rivals its top competitors, such as Kroger (NYSE:$KR) and Target (NYSE:$TGT). Investors should keep an eye out for the company as it makes a comeback — not just in the U.S., but worldwide.

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