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Wal-Mart Upgrades App for Pharmacy & Money Service Customers
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Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT - Free Report) has announced an upgrade to its mobile app, which will benefit its pharmacy and money services customers.
For Wal-Mart pharmacy, the app will enable customers to refill prescriptions from their smartphones and use express lanes to pick up their orders, scan the prescription’s code, and pay electronically.
Similarly, money-services app users will be able to store data on their phone, enter the money-services express lane and scan a register code to verify transactions. This app will save a lot of time for customers, which was earlier spent in paperwork and waiting in lines.
The company currently offers about 1,200 stores services express lanes. Further, they will be made available at almost all of its 4,700 stores by fall.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
We note Wal-Mart has been refocusing on improving customer service at its stores in an effort to compete better with brick-and-mortar rivals as well as Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN - Free Report) and acquire a stake in the online business.
In this regard, it continues to make huge investments in e-commerce initiatives, including acquisitions. After the acquisition of the U.S. e-commerce company, Jet.com, Inc. in Sep 2016, Wal-Mart is also aiming to acquire a stake in India's largest e-commerce firm, Flipkart Online Services Pvt., in order to expand in the fast-growing online retail market. On Dec 30, 2016, Jet.com acquired Boston-based footwear-shopping website ShoeBuy, which will allow Jet.com to expand in the footwear industry. ShoeBuy will also bring access to a large assortment of products that will enhance both the variety and the customer experience.
Bentonville, AR-based Wal-Mart is also aggressively foraying into e-commerce in China with an aim to deliver goods from its stores around the world to Chinese consumers within hours. In Jun 2016, Wal-Mart inked a deal with JD.com to sell its Chinese e-commerce business, Yihaodian in exchange for a 5.9% equity stake in the company. In Feb 2017, Wal-Mart increased its stake in Chinese e-commerce website, JD.com Inc., to 12.1%, worth roughly $4.87 billion. This is up from the 10.8% stake it had in Oct 2016, and its 5.9% stake in June. The move was in line with the company’s aim to grab greater market share in the world’s largest online market and expand its reach in China, where it has been struggling of late.
Wal-Mart has also partnered with ride hailing services Uber and Lyft for speedy online grocery deliveries. Moreover, it intends to roll out drones in the near term for product deliveries to Wal-Mart facilities as well as to consumer homes.
Apart from investing in e-commerce activities, the company is also paying its workers more and training them to improve its stores’ performance. Wal-Mart, being the largest private employer in the U.S. with 2.2 million staff, has decided to invest $2.7 billion to raise wages and provide additonal training to its employers in fiscal 2017. Under the initiative, Wal-Mart raised its minimum wage to $9 an hour in April and to $10 per hour in Feb 2016.
Coming to the share price movement, Wal-Mart Stores has increased marginally in comparison to the index in the past one year. We note that in the said period the stock has improved 8.1%, in comparison to the Zacks categorized Retail-Supermarkets industry, which showcased growth of 5.9%. We believe there still much value left in the stock, which is quite evident from its Value score of ‘A’, Growth score of ‘A’ and VGM Score of “A”. Further, the retailer has delivered positive earnings surprises in the past six consecutive quarters.
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
Wal-Mart currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
While Francesca's Holdings has an expected long-term earnings growth of 13.75%, Zumiez has an expected long-term earnings growth of 15.0% for the next three to five years.
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Wal-Mart Upgrades App for Pharmacy & Money Service Customers
Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT - Free Report) has announced an upgrade to its mobile app, which will benefit its pharmacy and money services customers.
For Wal-Mart pharmacy, the app will enable customers to refill prescriptions from their smartphones and use express lanes to pick up their orders, scan the prescription’s code, and pay electronically.
Similarly, money-services app users will be able to store data on their phone, enter the money-services express lane and scan a register code to verify transactions. This app will save a lot of time for customers, which was earlier spent in paperwork and waiting in lines.
The company currently offers about 1,200 stores services express lanes. Further, they will be made available at almost all of its 4,700 stores by fall.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Quote
We note Wal-Mart has been refocusing on improving customer service at its stores in an effort to compete better with brick-and-mortar rivals as well as Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN - Free Report) and acquire a stake in the online business.
In this regard, it continues to make huge investments in e-commerce initiatives, including acquisitions. After the acquisition of the U.S. e-commerce company, Jet.com, Inc. in Sep 2016, Wal-Mart is also aiming to acquire a stake in India's largest e-commerce firm, Flipkart Online Services Pvt., in order to expand in the fast-growing online retail market. On Dec 30, 2016, Jet.com acquired Boston-based footwear-shopping website ShoeBuy, which will allow Jet.com to expand in the footwear industry. ShoeBuy will also bring access to a large assortment of products that will enhance both the variety and the customer experience.
Bentonville, AR-based Wal-Mart is also aggressively foraying into e-commerce in China with an aim to deliver goods from its stores around the world to Chinese consumers within hours. In Jun 2016, Wal-Mart inked a deal with JD.com to sell its Chinese e-commerce business, Yihaodian in exchange for a 5.9% equity stake in the company. In Feb 2017, Wal-Mart increased its stake in Chinese e-commerce website, JD.com Inc., to 12.1%, worth roughly $4.87 billion. This is up from the 10.8% stake it had in Oct 2016, and its 5.9% stake in June. The move was in line with the company’s aim to grab greater market share in the world’s largest online market and expand its reach in China, where it has been struggling of late.
Wal-Mart has also partnered with ride hailing services Uber and Lyft for speedy online grocery deliveries. Moreover, it intends to roll out drones in the near term for product deliveries to Wal-Mart facilities as well as to consumer homes.
Apart from investing in e-commerce activities, the company is also paying its workers more and training them to improve its stores’ performance. Wal-Mart, being the largest private employer in the U.S. with 2.2 million staff, has decided to invest $2.7 billion to raise wages and provide additonal training to its employers in fiscal 2017. Under the initiative, Wal-Mart raised its minimum wage to $9 an hour in April and to $10 per hour in Feb 2016.
Coming to the share price movement, Wal-Mart Stores has increased marginally in comparison to the index in the past one year. We note that in the said period the stock has improved 8.1%, in comparison to the Zacks categorized Retail-Supermarkets industry, which showcased growth of 5.9%. We believe there still much value left in the stock, which is quite evident from its Value score of ‘A’, Growth score of ‘A’ and VGM Score of “A”. Further, the retailer has delivered positive earnings surprises in the past six consecutive quarters.
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
Wal-Mart currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
Some better-ranked stocks in the retail sector are Francesca's Holdings Corporation and Zumiez, Inc. (ZUMZ - Free Report) . Both the stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
While Francesca's Holdings has an expected long-term earnings growth of 13.75%, Zumiez has an expected long-term earnings growth of 15.0% for the next three to five years.
A Full-Blown Technological Breakthrough in the Making
Zacks’ Aggressive Growth Strategist Brian Bolan explores autonomous cars in our latest Special Report, Driverless Cars: Your Roadmap to Mega-Profits Today. In addition to who will be selling them and how the auto industry will be impacted, Brian reveals 8 stocks with tremendous gain potential to feed off this phenomenon. Click to see the stocks right now >>