NEW YORK (MarketWatch) --

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT +0.13% said Monday it is paying its quarterly dividend on Dec. 27, 2012 instead of Jan. 2, 2013. The record date for shareholders remains unchanged at Dec. 7. The dividend will remain at 39.75 cents a share. The move comes amid talk in Washington that higher taxes on dividends could be part of an eventual package to deal with the fiscal cliff, which is a combination of tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to take place next year.