Categories Analysis, Retail

Walmart Stock: How does WMT perform in the changing retail landscape

Earlier, the management had lowered full-year guidance to reflect the strain on margins and inflationary pressures

Grocery chain Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) has an impressive track record of effectively navigating the ups and downs of the retail industry during times of uncertainty, but it doesn’t seem to be entirely resilient to the coronavirus crisis.  

Recent data indicate that once again consumers are pulling back on discretionary purchases, slowing down the recovery triggered by market reopening as their personal finances have come under pressure from the record-high inflation. What makes it painful for the store operator is that the shift in shopping habits has affected sales of high-margin, bulk items like home décor.

Buy WMT?

Last week, the company’s stock gained following the quarterly financial release, continuing its recovery from the losses suffered after the previous earnings announcement. However, WMT has stayed above its long-term average and mostly outperformed the broad market. That, combined with the favorable valuation, has created a unique buying opportunity. It is expected to reach new highs by mid-2023.


Walmart Inc. Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript


The Bentonville-based retail behemoth is touted as the country’s largest employer with around 2.3 million workers — 70% of them are employed in the US. Recently, it laid off about a couple of hundred employees as part of streamlining operations at the corporate headquarters amid concerns of weakening profitability. Many stakeholders believe the move could be an ominous warning about the new challenges facing the retail industry, against the rapidly-evolving economic backdrop.

Walmart Q2 2023 earnings call transcript

Stable Sales

It is worth noting that the company reported flat earnings of $1.77 per share, on an adjusted basis, in the most recent quarter when revenues moved up 8% year-over-year to $153 million. Sales rose across all business divisions and geographical segments, aided by a 7% increase in comparable store sales. The results topped expectations.


Amazon stock remains a good bet despite poor results. Here’s why


Typically, Walmart’s sales are steadier than those of its peers. The management retained its earlier outlook for the second half, which was lowered a few weeks ago to reflect the strain on margins and inflationary pressures. The guidance is in line with its earlier decision to go for aggressive markdowns to ease inventory build-up. By now, it is pretty clear that the challenges posed by elevated inflation and supply chain disruption would remain a drag on the retail sector.

From Walmart’s Q2 2023 earnings conference call:

“Our fall and holiday products look great. There’s a lot of newness, and we’ve got a strong position in opening price points across categories, from Halloween to Christmas, to Flipkart’s Big Billion Days, we will be ready. We’ll have a cleaner inventory position, and we’ll have a strong seasonal presence. We expect inflation to continue to influence the choices that families make and we’re adjusting to that reality, so we can help them more.”

Update

Last month, Walmart acquired Volt Systems, which provides suppliers with enhanced on-demand visibility into merchandising resources. The deal, which is expected to allow the company to better anticipate customer demand, came on the heels of the management revealing plans to acquire AR optical tech company Memomi.

Looking for more insights on the earnings results? Click here to access the full transcripts of the latest earnings conference calls!

Most Popular

ADBE Earnings: Adobe Q1 2024 revenue and profit beat estimates

Design software maker Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) on Thursday reported an increase in first-quarter 2024 revenue and earnings. The results also surpassed analysts' forecasts. First-quarter revenues came in at $5.18

Earnings Preview: FedEx (FDX) likely to report higher revenue and profit for Q3

FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) delivered positive earnings performance and margin expansion in the first half of fiscal 2024, despite lower revenues. The cargo giant has been on a path of

Key takeaways from Dollar General’s (DG) Q4 2023 earnings report

Shares of Dollar General Corporation (NYSE: DG) fell over 4% on Thursday despite the company delivering better-than-expected earnings results for the fourth quarter of 2023. The top and bottom line numbers

Add Comment
Loading...
Cancel
Viewing Highlight
Loading...
Highlight
Close
Top