Consumer Discretionary

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) reported quarterly earnings of $1.80 per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $1.65 by 9.09 percent. The company reported quarterly sales of $173.40 billion which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $170.71 billion by 1.58 percent. This is a 5.70 percent increase over sales of $164.05 billion the same period last year.

Walmart Sees Q1 Consolidated Net Sales Up 4-5% (Leap Year Estimated to Benefit Approximately 100bps), Sees FY24 Consolidated Net Sales Up 3-4%

Walmart Sees Q1 2025 Adj. EPS $1.48-$1.56 On Pre-Split Basis (Consensus $1.48), Sees Adj. EPS $0.52 On Post-Split Basis; Sees FY25 Adj. EPS $6.70-$7.12 Pre-Split (Consensus $6.55), Sees Adj. EPS $2.23-$2.37 Post-Split.

Walmart CFO Said We Saw Better Than Expected Holiday Sales, Including 2 Record Breaking Volume Days Leading Up To Christmas -Conf Call.

Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT) reported fourth-quarter FY24 net sales growth of 5.7% year-over-year to $173.39 billion, beating the consensus of $170.71 billion. Adjusted EPS was $1.80, beating the consensus of $1.65. The stock price gained after the results. Net sales from Walmart U.S. increased 3.4% Y/Y, Walmart International rose 17.6%, and Sam’s Club U.S. was up 2.0%. Walmart’s total U.S. comp sales (ex-fuel) grew by 4.0%, with growth in eCommerce of 17%, led by pickup & delivery. Walmart U.S. Operating income rose 12.9% Y/Y to $6.1 billion, and the margin expanded by 44 bps to 5.2%. Consolidated operating income rose by $1.7 billion, or 30.4%; adjusted operating income up 13.2%, positively affected by currency and LIFO of 2.3% and 1.0%, respectively. The consolidated gross margin rate was up 39 bps, positively affected by a slight improvement for Walmart U.S. The company held $9.9 billion in cash and equivalents. M&A: Walmart agrees to buy VIZIO

Walmart is one of the most mentioned companies in the U.S. across all news items in the last 12 hours, according to Factiva data. Walmart reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit that beat expectations, and announced an agreement to buy Vizio Holding in a deal valued at $2.3 billion. Net income for the quarter to Jan. 31 fell to $5.49 billion, or $2.03 a share, from $6.28 billion, or $2.32 a share, in the same period a year ago. Excluding nonrecurring items, adjusted earnings per share of $1.80 beat the FactSet consensus of $1.64. Dow Jones & Co. owns Factiva.

CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows: We lift our 12-month target to $195 from $182, 27x our FY 25 (Jan.) EPS of $7.23 (down from $7.28; FY 26 initiated at $7.79) vs. the 24x historical average. F4Q (Jan-Q) adj-EPS of $1.80 (+5% Y/Y) smashed the $1.65 consensus. Walmart U.S. comp sales grew a solid 4.0% (+4.3% transactions; -0.3% average ticket), as consumers are shopping more frequently, but spending less per trip. Operating margins grew 30 bps Y/Y to 4.2%, as strong sales and good inventory management led to lower markdowns (Walmart U.S. inventory down 4.5% Y/Y). The outlook was a little cautious, but WMT tends to bake in some conservatism to start the year. Walmart agreed to acquire Vizio for $2.3B, which should help accelerate growth in its burgeoning global ads business (valued