Financial Performance - Net sales for the three months ended April 30, 2024, were $159.938 billion, representing a 5.9% increase from $151.004 billion in the same period of 2023[66]. - Total revenues increased by $9.2 billion or 6.0% year-over-year, driven by strong comparable sales in U.S. segments and international markets[77]. - Consolidated net income increased by $3.4 billion to $5.307 billion, resulting in diluted net income per share of $0.63, an increase of $0.42 year-over-year[77]. - Operating income increased by $0.6 billion or 9.6% for the three months ended April 30, 2024, reaching $6.841 billion, primarily due to strong growth in membership income globally[66]. - Operating income for the period was $6.841 billion, up from $6.240 billion, with an operating income margin of 4.3%[77]. Sales Growth - Comparable sales in the U.S. increased by 4.9% for the three months ended April 30, 2024, compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year, driven by strong sales in grocery and health and wellness[64]. - Comparable sales at the Sam's Club segment increased by 4.6% for the three months ended April 30, 2024, benefiting from strong sales in grocery and consumables[64]. - Walmart U.S. segment net sales increased by $4.8 billion or 4.6% for the three months ended April 30, 2024, compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year[79]. - Walmart International segment net sales increased by $3.2 billion or 12.1% for the three months ended April 30, 2024, driven by strong sales in food and consumables[80]. - Sam's Club segment net sales increased by $0.9 billion or 4.6% for the three months ended April 30, 2024, benefiting from growth in transactions and strong sales in grocery and consumables[82]. Profitability Metrics - Gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased to 24.1% for the three months ended April 30, 2024, up from 23.7% in the same period of 2023[66]. - Gross profit margin increased to 24.1% from 23.7% in the prior year, driven by effective price management and lower markdowns[77]. - Return on Assets (ROA) improved to 7.9% for the trailing 12 months ended April 30, 2024, compared to 4.5% for the same period in 2023[68]. - Return on Investment (ROI) increased to 15.0% for the trailing 12 months ended April 30, 2024, up from 12.7% in the previous year[68]. Expenses and Cash Flow - Operating expenses as a percentage of net sales increased to 20.8% for the three months ended April 30, 2024, compared to 20.4% in the same period of 2023[66]. - Free cash flow for the three months ended April 30, 2024, was negative $0.427 billion, a decrease of $0.6 billion compared to positive $0.204 billion in the prior year[74]. - Net cash provided by operating activities was $4.2 billion for the three months ended April 30, 2024, down from $4.6 billion in the same period in 2023[84]. - Cash and cash equivalents decreased to $9.4 billion as of April 30, 2024, from $10.6 billion in the previous year[85]. Capital Expenditures and Debt - Total capital expenditures for the three months ended April 30, 2024, were $4.676 billion, compared to $4.429 billion in the same period last year[73]. - Total outstanding long-term debt decreased by $1.8 billion during the three months ended April 30, 2024, primarily due to maturities of certain long-term debt[90]. - The company has a $20 billion share repurchase program approved in November 2022, with $15.5 billion remaining as of April 30, 2024[93]. - In the three months ended April 30, 2024, the company repurchased 18.0 million shares at an average price of $59.05, totaling $1,059 million, compared to 14.3 million shares at $47.82, totaling $686 million in the same period of 2023[94]. Future Outlook - The company expects continued uncertainty in the business environment due to inflationary trends and supply chain disruptions[62]. - The company expects to meet material cash requirements primarily through cash from operations, including inventory purchases, employee costs, taxes, and interest payments[95]. - The company believes its cash flows from operations and access to capital markets will be sufficient to meet anticipated cash requirements, including capital expenditures and share repurchases[96]. Ratings and Market Risks - As of April 30, 2024, the company's commercial paper rating is A-1+ from Standard & Poor's and P-1 from Moody's, while its long-term debt rating is AA from Standard & Poor's and Aa2 from Moody's[97]. - There have been no material changes to the company's market risks related to interest rates, currency exchange rates, and equity investments as of April 30, 2024[100].

Walmart has begun rolling out digital shelf labels (DSLs) in its stores.Following a test at the retailer’s location in Grapevine, Texas, the technology will be expanded to 2,300 stores by 2026, Walmart said in a Thursday (June 6) blog post.The DSLs, developed by VusionGroup, replace paper price tags on shelves and allow employees to update prices at the shelf with a few clicks on a mobile app, according to the post.The technology reduces the need for employees to change paper tags by hand, the post said, ad ...

The recommendations of Wall Street analysts are often relied on by investors when deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock. Media reports about these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts changing their ratings often affect a stock's price. Do they really matter, though?Let's take a look at what these Wall Street heavyweights have to say about Walmart (WMT) before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage.Walmart currently has an average br ...

A company as large as Walmart (NYSE:WMT) is undoubtedly using AI to automate parts of its business, such as inventory management and e-commerce fulfillment. If other retail stocks want to keep up with the world’s largest retailer, AI is not optional.Who else is using AI to strengthen their businesses and grow sales?“As we look to the future, it’s going to happen a lot faster than people can imagine once it’s all over. We’re talking a 3-5-year type of time horizon,” Gerald Storch, CEO of Storch Advisors, tol ...

Among blue chip stocks, few can match the investment returns and margin of safety provided by discount retailer Walmart (NYSE:WMT). Walmart stock is not only dependable and safe, it also provides a decent return on capital. So far in 2024, WMT stock has gained 26%.WMT stock is up 35% in the last years. Its strong performance is due to financial results, grocery expansion, and e-commerce growth. This strategy has kept it ahead of rivals such as Target (NYSE:TGT), whose shares are up only 2% on the year.Growt ...

Robert Way WMT stock: dividend yield at record low I last covered Walmart (NYSE:WMT) stock in October 2023 (see the chart below). At that time, the stock just joined the elite club of Dividend Kings after increasing its dividend payouts consecutively for 50 years. My article argued for a bullish thesis based on the following two considerations: Dividend growth investors may complain about WMT's low yield and slowed dividend raises in recent years. For long-term investors, the focus should be on total share ...

Investors seek growth stocks to capitalize on above-average growth in financials that help these securities grab the market's attention and produce exceptional returns. However, it isn't easy to find a great growth stock.By their very nature, these stocks carry above-average risk and volatility. Moreover, if a company's growth story is over or nearing its end, betting on it could lead to significant loss.However, the Zacks Growth Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which looks beyond the tr ...

In this articleWMTwatch nowBENTONVILLE, Ark. — When Gil Curren's family moved into a run-down farmhouse in Walmart's hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, in 1971, the now-retail giant wasn't yet a decade old. Sometimes, the nearby creek would flood, and cows would break loose onto the dirt road in front of his home.Now, when the 88-year-old retiree looks outside of his window, he sees new homes instead of cattle. Cyclists, including mountain bikers, whiz by. And when he drives into town, he sees buildings he ...

Amid a bullish period for some participants in the stock market, like Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT), the prices of which have recently crushed their previous all-time highs (ATHs), indications have appeared that the summer of 2024 might be even more positive.As it happens, analysts at Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) have argued that the stock market might receive a substantial amount of money from passive equity allocations in early July, which would set the stage for a bullish rally throughout the ...

Walmart is offering new perks for its hourly US workers, ranging from a new bonus plan to opportunities to move into skilled trade jobs within the company.The perks program announced Wednesday comes as the nation’s largest private employer says it’s seeing a decline in worker turnover. But Walmart, like other employers, faces a still-competitive labor market and increasing demands from its employees.Walmart’s new bonus plan for eligible part-time and full-time US store workers — including those in its pharm ...