Walmart Inc. ( WMT ) and Target Corporation ( TGT ) sit at the top of America’s retail landscape, both built on the promise of selling the everyday stuff people buy whether times are good orI focus on producing objective, data-driven research, mostly about small- to mid-cap companies, as these tend to be overlooked by many investors. From time to time, though, I also look at large-cap names, just to give a fuller sense of the broader equity markets.Analyst’s Disclosure:I/we have a beneficial long position i ...

Group 1 - Symbotic (SYM) reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results, with adjusted profit significantly increasing, leading to a surge in its stock price [1] - The company specializes in AI-enabled robotic technologies for automating warehouses and distribution centers, with Walmart (WMT) as a major customer [1] - Following the earnings report, there were multiple price-target hikes and an upgrade for SYM shares [1] Group 2 - The Nasdaq 100 index, tracked by the QQQ ETF, is undergoing changes in its membership, which may impact major companies like Walmart and Lululemon [2] - The stock market is experiencing fluctuations, with notable movements in stocks like Nvidia and Walmart, indicating a broader market sentiment shift [4] - Walmart has announced a "beat-and-raise" report, suggesting strong performance and potential growth [4]

Core Insights - CVS Health and Walmart are leading players in the U.S. Retail Pharmacy market, with CVS operating nearly 9,000 retail pharmacy locations and Walmart being a tech-powered omnichannel retailer [1][2] Revenue Performance - CVS Health reported record revenues of $103 billion for Q3 2025, exceeding estimates by 17.65%, with an 8% year-over-year growth driven by all segments [3] - Walmart's Q3 fiscal 2026 revenues reached $179.5 billion, a 6% increase in constant currency, surpassing estimates by 1.33%, with the International segment growing 11.4% [4] Profitability Comparison - CVS's adjusted operating income for Q3 2025 was approximately $3.5 billion, a 36% increase year-over-year, with adjusted EPS at $1.60, up 47% from the previous year [5] - Walmart's adjusted operating income increased 8% in constant currency, with adjusted EPS rising 7% year-over-year to 62 cents [6] Financial Health Snapshot - CVS generated operating cash flows of approximately $7.2 billion year-to-date, with total debt at $65.84 billion and $2.6 billion returned to shareholders [7] - Walmart reported $10.6 billion in cash and cash equivalents, with net cash from operating activities at $27.5 billion and total debt at $53.1 billion, returning nearly $13 billion to shareholders [8] Future Outlook - CVS expects revenues of at least $397 billion for 2025, raising its EPS outlook to between $6.55 and $6.65 [10] - Walmart forecasts fiscal 2026 constant-currency sales growth between 4.8% and 5.1%, with adjusted EPS expected between $2.58 and $2.63 [11] Price Performance and Valuation - Year-to-date, CVS shares have surged 73.5%, significantly outperforming Walmart's 15.4% growth [14] - CVS is trading at a forward five-year price-to-sales ratio of 0.24, below its median, while Walmart's P/S is 1.13 [15] Estimate Trends - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CVS's 2025 EPS implies a year-over-year growth of 22.1% to $6.62, with estimates rising by 4.1% in the past 60 days [16] - Walmart's fiscal 2026 EPS consensus has increased by 0.8% to $2.62, representing a 4.4% increase over fiscal 2025 [18] Investment Consideration - Both CVS and Walmart are positioned as major players in the retail pharmacy space, with CVS showing solid momentum and Walmart benefiting from its International segment and e-commerce growth [19]

Core Insights - REITs are ideal for investors focused on capital preservation and sustainable returns, particularly as wealth grows and compounding dividends become significant [1] - Realty Income Corp. and Alpine Income Property Trust are highlighted as attractive long-term investments for those with substantial cash [2] Realty Income - Realty Income is a REIT that provides access to real estate's wealth-generating power, requiring a high percentage of profits to be returned to shareholders, resulting in a growing dividend payout [3] - The current market cap of Realty Income is $52 billion, with a dividend yield of 5.68% and a gross margin of 48.14% [4] - The company focuses on stable sectors like grocery and convenience stores, reducing risk through triple-net leases, which transfer property-level operating expenses to tenants [5] - Realty Income's dividend yield of 5.74% is significantly higher than the S&P 500's average of 1.2%, benefiting from lower interest rates that make borrowing cheaper for expansion [6] Alpine Income - Alpine Income Property Trust, with a market cap of $250 million, is a smaller alternative to Realty Income, focusing on single-tenant commercial properties [7] - The company prioritizes publicly traded clients like Lowe's and Walmart, which have higher credit ratings and stable cash flows, and also utilizes triple-net leases to mitigate risks [8] - In Q3, Lowe's and Dick's Sporting Goods accounted for 22% of Alpine Income's annualized base rent, indicating some client concentration risk, but management is actively expanding through acquisitions [9] - Alpine Income offers a higher dividend yield of 6.67%, with potential for growth, making it an attractive long-term investment [11] Investment Comparison - Realty Income is suited for safety-focused investors due to its size and track record, while Alpine Income is riskier but offers greater growth potential for those willing to take on more risk [12]

We recently published Jim Cramer Discussed These 11 Stocks & Commented On A Market Reversal. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer discussed. As is generally the case, Cramer ended up discussing Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) as he mentioned Walmart. Despite the fact that the retailer's shares have struggled recently, Cramer has continued to hold the stock for his charitable trust. In fact, he has gone as far as to comment that Costco Wholesale Corporation ...

Group 1 - The article does not provide any specific content related to a company or industry [1]

Market Sentiment & Investment Strategy - Goldman Sachs is recommending buying the dips in the markets, suggesting a potentially favorable investment opportunity [1] - Investors are cautiously "nibbling around the edges" rather than aggressively buying the dip, indicating some hesitancy [3] - The expectation is that the Fed will intervene to support the stock market if it declines too much [3][4][5] Macroeconomic Factors - The Fed is potentially cutting interest rates, with no discussion of hiking them [1][16] - Unemployment numbers are around 4% [2] - The federal government is expected to run a $18 billion to $19 billion trillion deficit over the next several years, which could positively impact the stock market [2] Consumer Spending & Retail Performance - The National Retail Federation expects consumers to spend over $1 trillion this holiday season [10] - The high-income consumer is primarily driving the economy, while the low-income consumer remains under pressure [11][12] - There are mixed reads on consumer behavior, with some retailers like Gap and TJ Maxx performing well, while others like Home Depot showed less positive results [7][8] Technology & AI - A strong AI capex narrative is crucial for maintaining market confidence [12][13] - Persistent growth and demand are expected for technology products, even in an economic downturn [14] - Nvidia's performance is a significant barometer for the market, while Dell is considered less so [15] Federal Reserve (The Fed) - The Fed's statements on interest rates and potential rate cuts are crucial drivers for the market [16] - The Fed is potentially more concerned about cracks in private sectors than the stock market or employment [16]

Let's get to Jimmy stock trading. Yeah, >> today Jeffy's upgraded tractor supply saying it's a hedge against a weak consumer. I think that this is really going to be the theme.Which of the retailers can do well in the face of a weak consumer. Uh I come back to saying that it should be Walmart and that I don't want to even though it has a high multiple I want to stick with it. The one that is disappointed and I know my my trust is on it forever is Costco.uh seems like can't get any traction whatsoever. And t ...

Good Monday morning from Yahoo Fight's New York City headquarter studios. I'm Yahoo Fight's executive editor, Brian Sazi. You're seeing those opening bells on Wall Street on this holiday week. Now, I know you are in the holiday mindset with Thanksgiving and Black Friday just a few days away. I am here to say shake yourself out of the meion in mindset because this will be a busy week for markets. We have retail sales data. Best Buy earnings are out which will provide more clues on the holiday shopper. AI pla ...

Core Insights - Walmart Inc. raised its fiscal 2026 net sales guidance to a range of 4.8-5.1% at constant currency, up from the previous range of 3.75-4.75% following steady top-line momentum in Q3 [1][10] Financial Performance - In the third quarter, Walmart's total revenues increased by 5.8% (6% at constant currency), driven by strong e-commerce performance, positive transaction counts, and market share gains across major categories [2][10] - Walmart anticipates fourth-quarter sales growth in the range of 3.75-4.75% at constant currency, which is necessary to meet the raised fiscal 2026 sales guidance [3][10] Market Dynamics - The timing shift of Flipkart's Big Billion Days event into Q3 is expected to impact year-over-year comparisons, while price investments in Mexico may also influence quarterly performance [4][10] - Despite these challenges, Walmart enters the quarter with healthy inventory levels and ongoing success in store-fulfilled delivery and advertising [5] Competitor Insights - Target reported Q3 fiscal 2025 net sales of $25.3 billion, a decline of 1.5% year-over-year, and expects a low single-digit decline in Q4 sales [6] - Kroger's Q2 fiscal 2025 sales were nearly flat at $33.94 billion, with identical sales without fuel growing by 3.4%, and it expects growth of 2.7-3.4% for the upcoming quarter [7] Stock Performance and Valuation - Walmart's shares have increased by 16.6% year-to-date, slightly outperforming the industry growth of 16.3% [8] - The company trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 36.74, which is higher than the industry average of 33.52 [12] Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Walmart's fiscal 2026 and 2027 earnings indicates year-over-year growth of 4.4% and 11.5%, respectively [15]