Wal-Mart is set to report second-quarter earnings before the bell on Thursday.
Here’s what Wall Street is expecting:
- Earnings per share: $1.07, according to a survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters.
- Revenue: $122.84 billion, Thomson Reuters said.
- Same-store sales: an increase of 1.7 percent, according to Thomson Reuters.
Big-box retailer Wal-Mart has been defending its turf against internet giant Amazon today, as the traditionally brick-and-mortar business is making moves into the digital world. Wal-Mart is also reportedly growing its online advertising business.
Some of Wal-Mart’s latest efforts to get purchases more quickly and efficiently to customers include testing an employee delivery program. The retailer is also piloting a push in its same-day service in certain markets, while retail rival Target just landed a partnership to do the same.
In its fiscal first quarter, Wal-Mart’s digital sales grew an impressive 63 percent, and the company said its grocery business continued to improve across U.S. stores.
Target on Wednesday reported better-than-expected digital sales growth, as it saw more shoppers returning to its stores and online for “quick trips” — ringing up smaller purchases, but more frequently.
For fiscal 2018, Wal-Mart has said it expects to earn between $4.20 and $4.40 a share.
As of Wednesday’s market close, shares of Wal-Mart have climbed about 11 percent over the past 12 months. This far outpaces the S&P 500 Retail ETF’s (XRT) declines of about 15 percent over the same period.
Source: FactSet
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.