A stable pick for uncertain times

Article Excerpt

Due to rising inflation, particularly for food, consumers are increasingly price-sensitive. That’s prompting more shoppers to visit discount retailers like Walmart. As the world’s largest retailer, Walmart is in a strong position to demand lower prices from its suppliers. That lets it keep selling prices low, and protects its profit margins. The company is also using its extensive store network to support its expanding e-commerce business. The stock has held up well during the current downturn—it’s up 4% in the past year compared to the 16% drop for the S&P 500 Index. We feel Walmart remains a great way to add stability to your portfolio during turbulent times. WALMART INC. $145 is a buy. The company (New York symbol WMT; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 2.7 billion; Market cap: $391.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend yield: 1.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.walmart.com) is the world’s largest retailer with 10,586 outlets in 24 countries. Those stores serve a total of 230 million customers each week. Walmart’s…