Walmart stock gains after better-than-expected earnings report

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) announced the latest financial results before the US market open on Tuesday.

World’s largest supermarket chain achieved revenue of $173.388 billion in the fourth quarter vs. $170.854 billion expected. Revenue grew by 5.7% year-over-year.

Earnings per share (EPS) reported at $1.80 (up from $1.71 the year prior) vs. $1.643 per share expected.

Full-year revenue grew by 6% from the year before $648.1 billion. EPS grew by 5.7% to $6.65 per share.

Walmart also announced that it will acquire electronics company VIZIO HOLDING CORP. in a deal worth $2.3 billion.

Company overview

• Founded: July 2, 1962
• Headquarters: Bentonville, Arkansas, United Kingdom
• Number of employees: 2.1 million (2023)
• Industry: Retail
• Key people: Greg Penner (Chairman), Doug McMillon (President and CEO)

CEO commentary

Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart had this to say to investors: ”Our team delivered a great quarter, finishing off a strong year. We crossed $100 billion in eCommerce sales and drove share gains as our customer experience metrics improved, even during our highest volume days leading up to the holidays. We’re proud of the team and excited about building on our momentum as we work to bring prices down for our customers and members.”

Stock reaction

Shares rose by over 3% during Tuesday’s trading session, trading at $175.75 a share.

Stock performance

• 5 day: +3.33%
• 1 month: +8.36%
• 3 months: +13.31%
• Year-to-date: +11.62%
• 1 year: +20.16%

Walmart stock price targets

• JPMorgan Chase & Co.: $176
• Stifel Nicolaus: $175
• Deutsche Bank: $190
• Telsey Advisory Group: $185
• Oppenheimer: $185
• Morgan Stanley: $168
• BMO Capital Markets: $175
• Truist Financial: $170
• Royal Bank of Canada: $168
• Evercore ISI: $177
• Jefferies Financial Group: $195
• Stephens: $190
• Tigress Financial: $196
• Piper Sandler: $210

Walmart Inc. is the 17th largest company in the world with a market cap of $473.78 billion, according to CompaniesMarketCap.

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Sources: Walmart Inc., TradingView, MarketWatch, MarketBeat, CompaniesMarketCap