Walmart gives disappointing Q2 guidance after Q1 results hit estimates
Walmart, America’s largest retailer and a bellwether for the US consumer, slipped this morning after it reported Q1 earnings results that hit Wall Street estimates but lukewarm guidance for the current quarter.
For the three-month period ending in April, Walmart reported:
Adjusted earnings per share at $0.66, right in line with what analysts polled by FactSet were expecting.
Revenues at $177.8 billion, more than the $174.8 billion analysts were penciling in.
For the current quarter, Walmart said it expects:
Adjusted EPS to fall between $0.72 and $0.74, less than the $0.75 expected.
Sales to grow 4.0% to 5.0% year over year — a lower midpoint than the 4.9% growth the Street had guessed.
For its current fiscal year, the company reiterated its guidance, which is:
Adjusted EPS to hit between $2.75 and $2.85, less than the $2.90 analysts expect.
Sales to increase 3.5% to 4.5% year over year. Analysts had been forecasting about 5% annual revenue growth.
Walmart fell 2% shortly after the release. The stock is up more than 16% since the start of the year through Wednesday’s close.