Topic: How To Invest

Wall Street Stock Forecaster Hotline – Friday, May 17, 2019

Article Excerpt

WALMART INC., $100.86, New York symbol WMT, is the world’s biggest retailer, with 11,368 outlets in 28 countries. In its fiscal 2020 first quarter, ended April 30, 2019, Walmart’s sales rose 1.0%, to $123.9 billion from $122.7 billion a year earlier. That missed the consensus forecast of $124.2 billion. If you exclude the negative impact of currency rates, sales gained 2.5%. In the quarter, U.S. online sales jumped 37%. As a result, the company’s U.S. same-store sales rose 3.4%. Walmart’s overall earnings soared 80.0%, to $3.84 billion from $2.13 billion. Due to fewer shares outstanding, per-share earnings improved 84.7%, to $1.33 from $0.72. If you exclude unusual items, the company earned $1.13 a share in the latest quarter. That beat the consensus estimate of $1.02. Walmart imports much of its merchandise from China. However, in response to the higher U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, it has opted to raise the price on those products instead of absorbing the additional costs. OUR RECOMMENDATION: Walmart is a buy. Walmart’s…