Shares of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. surged 4.5% in morning trade, enough to pace the gainers within the Dow Jones Industrial Average , after the discount retail giant announced a new stock buyback program and detailed its profit and sales outlook. The $3.62 price gain on the stock, which was on track to close at the highest level since February 2015, was adding about 25 points to the price of the Dow, which was up 35 points in midday trade. The next biggest positive influence was Chevron Corp.’s stock , which was up $1.43, or 1.2%, to add 10 points to the Dow. The biggest drag on the blue-chip barometer was UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s stock , which fell $1.79, or 0.9%, to shave 12 points off the Dow.
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