1. Walmart set to raise its full-year forecast as shoppers stick to essentials
2. Walmart is set to raise its full-year earnings forecast on Thursday when it reports quarterly results, as U.S. shoppers continue to buy essentials even as borrowing costs rise, lending standards tighten and the employment picture weakens.
3. Walmart is in a sweet spot among retailers as broader economic stresses push more people to shop for essentials such as groceries, its core business. Selling toilet paper, beans, pasta and toothpaste brings people into its stores, giving Walmart opportunities to cross sell more profitable merchandise including pens, notepads and backpacks.
4. Walmart, which is known for its low prices, drew in shoppers earning more than $100,000 a year during peak inflation in 2022.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon in May cautioned that stubborn inflation, especially in food, was "one of the key factors creating uncertainty for us in the back half of the year."
5. Walmart in May forecast net sales would rise about 3.5% this fiscal year, up from its prior outlook in February of a 2.5% to 3% rise, in part due to higher prices. It also raised its earnings forecast.
6. Walmart trades at 24.2 times 12-month forward earnings compared to 14.9 times for Target and 19.9 times for the S&P 500 Consumer Staples index, according to Refinitiv DataStream. Simpson characterized Walmart's current multiple as "high."
2. Walmart is set to raise its full-year earnings forecast on Thursday when it reports quarterly results, as U.S. shoppers continue to buy essentials even as borrowing costs rise, lending standards tighten and the employment picture weakens.
3. Walmart is in a sweet spot among retailers as broader economic stresses push more people to shop for essentials such as groceries, its core business. Selling toilet paper, beans, pasta and toothpaste brings people into its stores, giving Walmart opportunities to cross sell more profitable merchandise including pens, notepads and backpacks.
4. Walmart, which is known for its low prices, drew in shoppers earning more than $100,000 a year during peak inflation in 2022.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon in May cautioned that stubborn inflation, especially in food, was "one of the key factors creating uncertainty for us in the back half of the year."
5. Walmart in May forecast net sales would rise about 3.5% this fiscal year, up from its prior outlook in February of a 2.5% to 3% rise, in part due to higher prices. It also raised its earnings forecast.
6. Walmart trades at 24.2 times 12-month forward earnings compared to 14.9 times for Target and 19.9 times for the S&P 500 Consumer Staples index, according to Refinitiv DataStream. Simpson characterized Walmart's current multiple as "high."