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Walmart posted 40% earnings growth in the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2019 (2nd Quarter Earnings Press Release pdf, 2018). Marc Lore, Walmart’s ecommerce CEO credits their impressive earnings to aggressive competitive planning. In answering his own question, How do we win in the future of retail, Mr. Lore shares his vision for Walmart as an offensive player positioned to attract shoppers to Walmart for their online needs (Lauchland, 2018).
The earnings report cites three major factors for present and future growth. Walmart has added 1100 brands to its omnichannel shopping experience (2nd Quarter Earnings Press Release pdf, 2018). Now, more than ever, consumers can turn to Walmart for product variety and flexible delivery in store or to their homes. Groceries continue to be the backbone of Walmart’s consolidated sales totals. Ecommerce experienced a bump from the grocery segment by expanding online pick up to 1800 stores (2nd Quarter Earnings Press Release pdf, 2018). Walmart is on track to have grocery delivery available to 40% of the US population within the year (2nd Quarter Earnings Press Release pdf, 2018).
In august of this year, Walmart obtained approval to become a major stakeholder in Flipkart. Flipkart is the primary online shopping platform for India’s rapidly growing middle class (2nd Quarter Earnings Press Release pdf, 2018). Walmart has improved its projections for 2019 based on current economic conditions, high consumer confidence, and Walmart’s ability to attract in demand brands. Projected growth in consolidated sales has increased by .5%, in part, due to optimism that the 40% ecommerce growth will carry into future quarters (2nd Quarter Earnings Press Release pdf, 2018).
The adjusted EPS Guidance for fiscal year 2019 sits between $4.90 and $5.05 and does not account for investment in Flipkart since the deal is not finalized (2nd Quarter Earnings Press Release pdf, 2018). Walmart’s confidence is justified by financial experts who recommend purchase of Walmart stock. Oliver Chen of Cowen is quoted as, We remain bullish on WMT as we like the combination of management’s physical and digital strategies (Larkin, 2018). Further inquiry can be directed to Dan Binder, Investor Relations at (479) 258-7172 or Randy Hargrove, Media Relations at (800) 331-0085 (2nd Quarter Earnings Press Release pdf, 2018).