Topic: How To Invest

Wall Street Stock Forecaster Hotline – Friday, August 18, 2017

Article Excerpt

WAL-MART STORES INC., $79.31, New York symbol WMT, is the world’s largest retailer, with 11,652 locations in 28 countries. The company continues to invest heavily in its stores and Internet businesses. While those costs have slowed its earnings growth, they should help spur long-term gains. In its fiscal 2018 second quarter, ended July 31, 2017, the company’s earnings fell 23.2%, to $2.9 billion from $3.8 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share declined 20.7%, to $0.96 from $1.21, on fewer shares outstanding. If you exclude unusual items, such as a loss on the early repayment of debt, Wal-Mart’s earnings per share improved 0.9%, to $1.08 from $1.07. On that basis, the latest earnings beat the consensus estimate of $1.07. Sales in the quarter gained 2.1%, to $123.3 billion from $120.9 billion. That also beat the consensus forecast of $122.8 billion. If you exclude the impact currency-rate changes had on Wal-Mart’s international operations, sales rose 2.9% in the quarter. Same-store sales at the company’s U.S. stores…