Walmart is cautious with expectations after slowest sales growth in 6 years
- Walmart reported its slowest U.S. comparable sales growth in six years in the latest quarter, with U.S. comparable sales up 2.6%.
- The company’s full-year guidance was viewed as cautious by Wall Street, and Walmart shares fell more than 8% after the report.
- Quarterly profit and revenue both beat expectations, helped by a $2.9 billion tariff refund, while adjusted earnings were 81 cents per share.
- Walmart said it is temporarily lowering prices on 11,000 items and expects about $2 billion in additional fuel costs this year.
- U.S. e-commerce rose 24% and now accounts for 23% of Walmart’s overall U.S. business.
- Walmart’s outlook and weak comparable sales were seen as a sign of cautious consumer spending, especially among lower-income shoppers.
Walmart said its U.S. comparable sales rose 2.6% in the second quarter, the slowest pace in six years, and that performance was below Wall Street expectations. The company’s outlook for the rest of the year was also seen as cautious, which contributed to a drop of more than 8% in its shares and weighed on the broader U.S. stock market.
The retailer still reported stronger-than-expected quarterly profit and revenue. Net income was $6.37 billion, or 80 cents per share, while adjusted earnings came to 81 cents per share. Sales rose 5.9% to $187.94 billion, helped in part by a $2.9 billion tariff refund.
Walmart said it is using tariff refunds to temporarily cut prices on 11,000 items, especially groceries and general merchandise, as it faces higher energy costs. The company expects about $2 billion in additional fuel expenses this year and said consumers, particularly lower-income shoppers, are making more trade-offs. Its U.S. e-commerce business rose 24% and now makes up 23% of the overall U.S. business.
沃尔玛在六年来最慢销售增长后对前景持谨慎态度
沃尔玛表示，第二季度美国可比销售额增长 2.6%，这是六年来最慢的增幅，也低于华尔街预期。公司对全年剩余时间的展望同样被认为偏谨慎，这使其股价在财报后下跌逾 8%，并拖累了美国整体股市表现。
不过，公司季度利润和营收仍双双好于预期。净利润为 63.7 亿美元，每股 80 美分；调整后每股收益为 81 美分。营收增长 5.9% 至 1,879.4 亿美元，部分受 29 亿美元关税退款推动。
沃尔玛称，正利用关税退款临时下调 11,000 种商品价格，重点包括食品杂货和日用商品，同时也面临更高的能源成本。公司预计今年燃油支出将增加约 20 亿美元，并表示消费者，尤其是低收入家庭，正在更谨慎地消费。其美国电商业务增长 24%，目前占美国业务的 23%。