We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Walmart (WMT) Raises Guidance on Q1 Earnings & Sales Beat
Read MoreHide Full Article
Walmart Inc. (WMT - Free Report) came out with robust first-quarter fiscal 2024 results as both the top and bottom lines increased year over year and cruised ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Strong comp sales growth globally and expense leverage were upsides. Walmart continues to benefit from its strong omnichannel model. Encouragingly, management raised its guidance for fiscal 2024.
Quarter in Detail
Walmart’s adjusted earnings of $1.47 per share increased 13.1% from the year-ago period’s figure of $1.30. The metric surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.32.
Total revenues of $152.3 billion grew 7.6% and beat the consensus mark of $149.7 billion. The top line was hurt by currency woes to the tune of $0.2 billion. On a constant-currency (cc) basis, total revenues climbed 7.7%. The company witnessed growth in all segments. E-commerce sales surged 26% globally on omnichannel strength, including pickup and delivery.
The consolidated gross profit margin contracted by 18 basis points (bps) to 23.7%, mainly due to the impact of the sales mix stemming from a shift from general merchandise to grocery and health & wellness. The operating income increased 17.3% to $6.2 billion, and the operating margin expanded 34 bps due to expense leverage and the development of the company’s connected value streams, such as advertising. Consolidated operating expenses as a percentage of sales declined by 58 bps year over year.
WMT’s global advertising business soared more than 30%.
Segment Details
Walmart U.S.: The segment’s net sales grew 7.2% to $103.9 billion in the reported quarter. U.S. comp sales, excluding fuel, improved by 7.4% due to a 4.4% increase in the average ticket, and transactions rose 2.9% year over year.
Comp sales were mainly driven by strength in food categories, the solid sales of private brands, an elevated average ticket and increased store transactions. The segment continued to see an increased market share in grocery.
E-commerce boosted comps by 270 bps. E-commerce sales in the segment rose 27%, driven by strength in pickup & delivery and advertising. As of the first quarter, Walmart U.S. had more than 4,600 pickup locations and more than 3,900 same-day delivery stores. The company remodeled 96 stores during the reported quarter.
The gross margin at Walmart U.S. fell 41 bps due to a mix shift. The operating income of the Walmart U.S. segment jumped 11.7% to $5 billion.
Walmart International: The segment’s net sales rose 12% to $26.6 billion. Currency movements had a $0.2-billion adverse impact. On a cc basis, net sales jumped 12.9% to $26.8 million. Sales were largely driven by Walmex, China and Flipkart. Segment e-commerce sales jumped 25% on store-fulfilled and advertising strength. The operating income, on a cc basis, grew 41.5% to $1.1 billion.
Sam’s Club: The segment, which comprises membership warehouse clubs, witnessed a net sales increase of 4.5% to $20.5 billion. Sam’s Club’s comp sales, excluding fuel, grew 7%. While transactions grew 2.9%, the average ticket rose 4%. Comp sales saw strength across most categories, mainly led by food and consumables.
The membership income climbed 6.3% in the quarter, reflecting strong membership trends and a record total member count. The Plus penetration rate continued to rise. E-commerce fueled comps by 160 bps. E-commerce net sales jumped 19% at Sam’s Club on robust curbside performances. The segment’s operating income came in at $0.5 billion, down 0.4% year over year.
Other Financial Updates & Developments
Walmart ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $10.6 billion and total debt of $49.5 billion.
In the first quarter of fiscal 2024, WMT generated operating cash flow of $4.6 billion and incurred capital expenditures of $4.4 billion, resulting in free cash flow of $0.2 billion. In fiscal 2024, capital expenditures are likely to range between flat and slightly up compared with fiscal 2023.
Walmart allocated $0.7 billion for share buybacks during the quarter, repurchasing 4.8 million shares. As of the first-quarter earnings release, the company had $18.6 billion remaining under its share buyback plan.
FY24 Guidance
For fiscal 2024, Walmart now expects consolidated net sales growth of nearly 3.5% at cc compared with the previous view of 2.5-3% growth.
Management expects the consolidated operating income to increase roughly 4-4.5% at cc now, including 100 bps from LIFO. The consolidated operating income was earlier expected to increase 3% at cc, including the LIFO impact.
Management anticipates net interest expenses to escalate by approximately $600 million in comparison with the year-ago period. The effective tax rate is likely to be approximately 26.5%. The company also expects the noncontrolling interest to be a roughly 20-cent headwind to the EPS.
Management now envisions an adjusted EPS in the band of $6.10-$6.20, up from the earlier projected range of $5.90-$6.05. The bottom-line view includes an anticipated LIFO impact of 14 cents. The company posted an adjusted EPS of $6.29 in fiscal 2023.
Q2 View
For the second quarter of fiscal 2024, Walmart expects consolidated net sales growth of around 4% at cc. The consolidated operating income is expected to decline about 2% at cc. The adjusted EPS is likely to come in the range of $1.63-$1.68.
Walmart currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of the company have risen 2.1% in the past three months compared with the industry’s growth of 2.7%.
Some Solid Picks
Here we have highlighted three better-ranked stocks.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kroger’s current financial-year EPS suggests an increase of 6.6% from the year-ago reported figure. Kroger has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 9.8%, on average.
Hibbett (HIBB - Free Report) currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. This athletic-inspired fashion product company has an expected EPS growth rate of 12.4% for three to five years.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hibbett’s current financial-year EPS suggests a dip of 0.1% from the year-ago reported figure. HIBB has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 13.9%, on average.
Fastenal (FAST - Free Report) engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. FAST currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three to five years.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal’s current financial-year EPS suggests growth of 4.8% from the year-ago reported figure. Fastenal has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.2%, on average.
Unique Zacks Analysis of Your Chosen Ticker
Pick one free report - opportunity may be withdrawn at any time
Image: Bigstock
Walmart (WMT) Raises Guidance on Q1 Earnings & Sales Beat
Walmart Inc. (WMT - Free Report) came out with robust first-quarter fiscal 2024 results as both the top and bottom lines increased year over year and cruised ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Strong comp sales growth globally and expense leverage were upsides. Walmart continues to benefit from its strong omnichannel model. Encouragingly, management raised its guidance for fiscal 2024.
Quarter in Detail
Walmart’s adjusted earnings of $1.47 per share increased 13.1% from the year-ago period’s figure of $1.30. The metric surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.32.
Walmart Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Walmart Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Walmart Inc. Quote
Total revenues of $152.3 billion grew 7.6% and beat the consensus mark of $149.7 billion. The top line was hurt by currency woes to the tune of $0.2 billion. On a constant-currency (cc) basis, total revenues climbed 7.7%. The company witnessed growth in all segments. E-commerce sales surged 26% globally on omnichannel strength, including pickup and delivery.
The consolidated gross profit margin contracted by 18 basis points (bps) to 23.7%, mainly due to the impact of the sales mix stemming from a shift from general merchandise to grocery and health & wellness. The operating income increased 17.3% to $6.2 billion, and the operating margin expanded 34 bps due to expense leverage and the development of the company’s connected value streams, such as advertising. Consolidated operating expenses as a percentage of sales declined by 58 bps year over year.
WMT’s global advertising business soared more than 30%.
Segment Details
Walmart U.S.: The segment’s net sales grew 7.2% to $103.9 billion in the reported quarter. U.S. comp sales, excluding fuel, improved by 7.4% due to a 4.4% increase in the average ticket, and transactions rose 2.9% year over year.
Comp sales were mainly driven by strength in food categories, the solid sales of private brands, an elevated average ticket and increased store transactions. The segment continued to see an increased market share in grocery.
E-commerce boosted comps by 270 bps. E-commerce sales in the segment rose 27%, driven by strength in pickup & delivery and advertising. As of the first quarter, Walmart U.S. had more than 4,600 pickup locations and more than 3,900 same-day delivery stores. The company remodeled 96 stores during the reported quarter.
The gross margin at Walmart U.S. fell 41 bps due to a mix shift. The operating income of the Walmart U.S. segment jumped 11.7% to $5 billion.
Walmart International: The segment’s net sales rose 12% to $26.6 billion. Currency movements had a $0.2-billion adverse impact. On a cc basis, net sales jumped 12.9% to $26.8 million. Sales were largely driven by Walmex, China and Flipkart. Segment e-commerce sales jumped 25% on store-fulfilled and advertising strength. The operating income, on a cc basis, grew 41.5% to $1.1 billion.
Sam’s Club: The segment, which comprises membership warehouse clubs, witnessed a net sales increase of 4.5% to $20.5 billion. Sam’s Club’s comp sales, excluding fuel, grew 7%. While transactions grew 2.9%, the average ticket rose 4%. Comp sales saw strength across most categories, mainly led by food and consumables.
The membership income climbed 6.3% in the quarter, reflecting strong membership trends and a record total member count. The Plus penetration rate continued to rise. E-commerce fueled comps by 160 bps. E-commerce net sales jumped 19% at Sam’s Club on robust curbside performances. The segment’s operating income came in at $0.5 billion, down 0.4% year over year.
Other Financial Updates & Developments
Walmart ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $10.6 billion and total debt of $49.5 billion.
In the first quarter of fiscal 2024, WMT generated operating cash flow of $4.6 billion and incurred capital expenditures of $4.4 billion, resulting in free cash flow of $0.2 billion. In fiscal 2024, capital expenditures are likely to range between flat and slightly up compared with fiscal 2023.
Walmart allocated $0.7 billion for share buybacks during the quarter, repurchasing 4.8 million shares. As of the first-quarter earnings release, the company had $18.6 billion remaining under its share buyback plan.
FY24 Guidance
For fiscal 2024, Walmart now expects consolidated net sales growth of nearly 3.5% at cc compared with the previous view of 2.5-3% growth.
Management expects the consolidated operating income to increase roughly 4-4.5% at cc now, including 100 bps from LIFO. The consolidated operating income was earlier expected to increase 3% at cc, including the LIFO impact.
Management anticipates net interest expenses to escalate by approximately $600 million in comparison with the year-ago period. The effective tax rate is likely to be approximately 26.5%. The company also expects the noncontrolling interest to be a roughly 20-cent headwind to the EPS.
Management now envisions an adjusted EPS in the band of $6.10-$6.20, up from the earlier projected range of $5.90-$6.05. The bottom-line view includes an anticipated LIFO impact of 14 cents. The company posted an adjusted EPS of $6.29 in fiscal 2023.
Q2 View
For the second quarter of fiscal 2024, Walmart expects consolidated net sales growth of around 4% at cc. The consolidated operating income is expected to decline about 2% at cc. The adjusted EPS is likely to come in the range of $1.63-$1.68.
Walmart currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of the company have risen 2.1% in the past three months compared with the industry’s growth of 2.7%.
Some Solid Picks
Here we have highlighted three better-ranked stocks.
Kroger (KR - Free Report) , a renowned grocery retailer, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). KR has an EPS growth rate of 6% for three to five years. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kroger’s current financial-year EPS suggests an increase of 6.6% from the year-ago reported figure. Kroger has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 9.8%, on average.
Hibbett (HIBB - Free Report) currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. This athletic-inspired fashion product company has an expected EPS growth rate of 12.4% for three to five years.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hibbett’s current financial-year EPS suggests a dip of 0.1% from the year-ago reported figure. HIBB has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 13.9%, on average.
Fastenal (FAST - Free Report) engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. FAST currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three to five years.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal’s current financial-year EPS suggests growth of 4.8% from the year-ago reported figure. Fastenal has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.2%, on average.