Business
Walmart hikes sales and earnings outlook even as it says tariff costs are rising
The logos of Walmart and Sam’s Club are pictured in Cuautitlan Izcalli, Mexico, January 30, 2025.
Raquel Cunha | Reuters
Walmart on Thursday raised its full-year earnings and sales outlook as its online business posted another quarter of double-digit gains, even as the company said costs are rising from higher tariffs.
The big-box retailer topped Wall Street’s quarterly sales estimates but fell short of earnings expectations, the first time it missed on quarterly earnings since May 2022. The company said it felt pressure on profits for the period, including from some one-time expenses, such as restructuring costs, pricier insurance claims and litigation settlements.
Walmart said it now expects net sales to grow between 3.75% to 4.75% for the fiscal year, up from its previous expectations for 3% to 4%. It raised its adjusted earnings per share outlook slightly to $2.52 to $2.62, up from a prior range of $2.50 to $2.60 per share.
In an interview with CNBC, Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey said the company is working hard to keep prices low – including speeding up imports from overseas and stepping up the number of Rollbacks, or limited-time discounts, in its stores.
“This is managed on an item-by-item and category-by-category basis,” he said. “There are certainly areas where we have fully absorbed the impact of higher tariff costs. There are other areas where we’ve had to pass some of those costs along.”
But he added “tariff-impacted costs are continuing to drift upwards.”
Even so, Rainey said Walmart hasn’t seen a change in customer spending. For example, sales of private label items, which typically cost less than national brands, were roughly flat year over year, he said.
“Everyone is looking to see if there are any creaks in the armor or anything that’s happening with the consumer, but it’s been very consistent,” he said. “They continue to be very resilient.”
Here’s what the big-box reported for the fiscal second quarter compared with what Wall Street expected, according to a survey of analysts by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: 68 cents adjusted vs. 74 cents expected
- Revenue: $177.40 billion vs. $176.16 billion
Walmart shares fell about 2% in premarket trading Thursday.
Walmart’s net income jumped to $7.03 billion, or 88 cents per share, in the three-month period that ended July 31, compared with $4.50 billion, or 56 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.
Revenue rose from $169.34 billion in the year-ago quarter.
Comparable sales for Walmart U.S. climbed 4.6% in the second quarter, excluding fuel, compared with the year-ago period, as both the grocery and health and wellness category saw strong growth. That was higher than the 4% increase that analysts expected. The industry metric, also called same-store sales, includes sales from stores and clubs open for at least a year.
At Sam’s Club, comparable sales jumped 5.9% excluding fuel, higher than the 5.2% that analysts anticipated.
E-commerce sales jumped 25% globally and 26% in the U.S., as both online purchases and advertising grew. In the U.S., Walmart said sales through store-fulfilled delivery of groceries and other items grew nearly 50% year over year, with one-third of those orders expedited. The company charges a fee for some of those faster deliveries, and others are included as a benefit of its subscription-based membership program, Walmart+.
Its global advertising business grew 46% year over year, including Vizio, the smart TV maker it acquired for $2.3 billion last year. Its U.S. advertising business, Walmart Connect, grew by 31%.
As Walmart’s online business drums up more revenue from home deliveries, advertising and commissions from sellers on its third-party marketplace, e-commerce has become a profitable business. The company marked a milestone in May — posting its first profitable quarter for its e-commerce business in the U.S. and globally.
Rainey said on Thursday that Walmart doubled its e-commerce profitability in the fiscal second quarter from the prior quarter.
In the U.S., shoppers both visited Walmart more and spent more on those trips during the quarter. Customer transactions rose 1.5% year over year and average ticket increased 3.1% for Walmart’s U.S. business.
As the largest U.S. retailer, Walmart offers a unique window into the financial health of American households. As higher duties have come in fits and starts — with some getting delayed and others going into effect earlier this month — Wall Street has tried to understand how those costs will ripple through the U.S. economy.
Walmart warned in May that it would have to raise some prices due to higher levies on imports, even with its size and scale. The company’s comments drew the ire of President Donald Trump, who said in a social media post that Walmart should “EAT THE TARIFFS.”
About a third of what Walmart sells in the U.S. comes from other parts of the world, with China, Mexico, Canada, Vietnam and India representing its largest markets for imports, Rainey said in May.
According to an analysis by CNBC of about 50 items sold by the retailer, some of those price changes have already hit shelves. Items that rose in price at Walmart over the summer included a frying pan, a pair of jeans and a car seat.
Rainey on Thursday declined to specify items or categories where Walmart had increased prices, saying the company is “trying to keep prices as low as we can.”
He said one of the company’s strategies has been bringing in inventory early, particularly for Sam’s Club as it gets ready for the second half of the fiscal year and its crucial holiday season. At the end of the quarter, inventory was up about 3.5% at Sam’s Club, Rainey said. It was up 2.2% for Walmart U.S.
Yet even with higher costs from tariffs, Walmart has fared better than its retail competitors as it has leaned into its reputation for value, competed on faster deliveries to customers’ homes and attracted more business from higher-income households.
The Arkansas-based retailer’s performance has diverged sharply from rival Target, which posted another quarter of sales declines on Wednesday and named the new CEO who will be tasked with trying to turn around the company.
Walmart has gained from Target’s struggles. It has followed the Target playbook by launching more exclusive and trend-driven brands, including grocery brand BetterGoods and activewear brand Love & Sports. It has also expanded its third-party marketplace to include prestige beauty brands and more.
Sales of general merchandise, items outside of the grocery department, were a bright spot for Walmart in the fiscal second quarter, Rainey said. That category struggled during peak inflation in recent years, as consumers spent less on discretionary items because of rising grocery bills.
Comparable sales for general merchandise rose by a low-single-digit percentage and accelerated throughout the quarter, Rainey said. He added clothing and fashion sales “really shined for us.”
Business
Defence stocks surge on Middle East tensions! HAL, BEL, Paras Defence rise up to 13% even as stock market crashes – The Times of India
Defence stocks today: Contrary to the crash in Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, defence stocks on Monday moved up in trade as rising Middle East tensions brought focus back on them. Shares of defence companies such as Hindustan Aeronautics, Bharat Dynamics, BEL and Paras Defence surged by as much as 13.5% as tensions in the Middle East intensified following the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The escalation has raised expectations of increased export opportunities and strengthened investor sentiment toward the sector. Paras Defence led the gains, climbing 13.5%. Meanwhile, HAL, BEL and Bharat Dynamics advanced by up to 3.5% on the BSE.During his recent visit to Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the two countries would move ahead with joint development, production and technology transfer in the defence sector.A joint statement issued after the visit noted that India and Israel would collaborate on the co-development and manufacturing of defence equipment to deepen strategic ties. The two sides also agreed to work toward concluding a bilateral trade agreement soon, broaden cooperation under the UPI digital payments framework, and partner on space projects and emerging technologies, among other areas.Brokerage house JM Financial said Indian defence companies such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited may receive sentiment support despite continued volatility in domestic equities amid a broader global risk-off environment, according to an ET report.Defence counters have seen significant fluctuations in recent months. The sector saw a robust rally last year after Indian armed forces conducted targeted strikes against terrorist groups in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. However, the uptrend later lost steam in the absence of new catalysts.Even as defence counters could witness a strong rally amid the escalating conflict, the wider equity market is expected to stay subdued.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
Business
Stock Market News Live Updates: Sensex Down Over 1,000 Points, Nifty Below 24,900; India VIX Jumps Nearly 20%
Nifty, Sensex Stock Market Today Live Updates: Indian benchmark indices continued their downward trajectory on Monday, tracking weak global cues as geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran escalated.
As of 11:00 AM, the Sensex was trading 1.34 per cent, or 1,086.02 points, lower at 80,201.17, while the Nifty50 declined 1.31 per cent, or 350.55 points, to 24,828.10. Shares of Larsen & Toubro, InterGlobe Aviation and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone were among the biggest laggards in the Nifty 50 index.
Broader market indices also traded in the red, with the Nifty MidCap and Nifty SmallCap indices falling 0.93 per cent and 1.3 per cent, respectively. Among sectoral indices, the Nifty Auto was the worst performer, sliding more than 2 per cent as shares of Maruti Suzuki India and Mahindra & Mahindra came under pressure.
On the other hand, the Nifty Metal index declined the least, making it the relatively best-performing sectoral index in early trade despite the overall weak market sentiment.
Global Cues
Over the weekend, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior officials were killed in a joint US-Israel military operation. The conflict appears set to intensify, with US President Donald Trump vowing to retaliate after American servicemen were killed in Iran’s counterattacks, according to agency reports.
Asian markets tumbled in early Monday trade. Japan’s Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s Kospi dropped as much as 2.7% and 2.43%, respectively.
On Sunday, US stock futures declined more than 1% after the strikes on Iran. Both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were reported to have fallen 1.11% each.
During the Asia session, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures and S&P 500 futures were down 0.6% and 0.54%, respectively.
In commodities, oil prices surged amid rising concerns over supply disruptions in the key producing region. Brent crude futures jumped 13.76% to $82.37 per barrel — the highest level since January 2025 — according to Bloomberg data.
Gold and silver futures rose more than 1% as investors turned to safe-haven assets.
Business
Labour parliamentarians urge UK Government to oppose Rosebank oil field
Labour MPs are among a group of more than 60 parliamentarians to have made public their opposition to the planned Rosebank oil field – with one of Sir Keir Starmer’s backbenchers urging the Government to rule against the development and take a stand “against Trump, Reform and their fossil fuel paymasters”.
Clive Lewis is one of more than 50 MPs at Westminster who have signed a pledge from campaign group Uplift to “oppose the Rosebank oil field” and instead “advocate for a properly funded just transition for oil and gas workers and communities”.
Urging the Government to reject the development, Norwich South MP Mr Lewis said: “We must stand our ground against Trump, Reform and their fossil fuel paymasters.
“Approving an enormous new oil field would mean caving in to their anti-climate, anti-renewables agenda that runs completely counter to our values and our long-term interests.”
Scottish Labour MP Chris Murray, another of the Labour MPs to have signed the pledge, said the decision on Rosebank was “an opportunity for the Government to change course”.
It comes as the UK Government continues to consider whether the development of the oil field can go ahead – with Labour now under mounting pressure after the loss of the Gorton and Denton by-election to the Greens on Thursday.
Rosebank, which lies about 80 miles west of Shetland, is the UK’s largest untapped field, containing up to an estimated 300 million barrels of oil.
Drilling there was approved by the Conservative government in 2023 but was then subject to a legal challenge in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling which said the emissions created from burning fossil fuels should be considered when granting permission for new sites.
Now the decision on whether it can proceed lies with Labour ministers – with some 16 Labour MPs having made plain their opposition to the development.
The group includes Mr Lewis, Mr Murray, former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Scottish Labour’s Brian Leishman.
Former Labour MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott have also signed the pledge, along with a number of Liberal Democrat and Green MPs, SNP MP Chris Law, Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts and Paul Maskey of Sinn Fein.
In Scotland a number of Labour MSPs have signed the pledge, along with Green MSPs – including the party’s Scottish co-leader Ross Greer – and former SNP health secretary Michael Matheson.
While previous Scottish first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf made plain their opposition to Rosebank, First Minister John Swinney has insisted the Scottish Government takes a “case-by-case approach” to new oil and gas developments, stressing these should only proceed if found to be compatible with climate change targets.
Mr Lewis said opposing Rosebank would “show that a Labour Government will stand by the promises we made to the country”.
He added: “There are only so many times we can afford to make mistakes and then change course.
“With Rosebank, we have an opportunity to get it right the first time.”
Mr Murray, the Labour MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, said many locals in his constituency were “deeply concerned about Rosebank and rightly so”.
He added: “Climate change is one of the reasons I came into politics, and opening new oil and gas fields is simply incompatible with our climate commitments.
“With the North Sea’s oil supply dwindling, Scotland’s energy sector must transition to clean energy, or workers risk being left behind.”
Scottish Labour MSP Mercedes Villalba, who has also signed the pledge, argued that “approving projects like Rosebank will lock us into a toxic dependence on volatile, conflict-ridden fossil fuels”.
This would create “another excuse to delay the urgent investment needed to create secure, well-paid jobs for Scotland’s workers”, she added.
Ms Villalba said: “In an increasingly uncertain world, where climate action is relegated in favour of fossil politics, the UK and Scotland must lead the way on the clean energy transition.”
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, said people in her constituency and across the country “are already facing the consequences of an increasingly unstable climate”.
Highlighting the impact of flooding and “skyrocketing food prices”, she said that “climate impacts are now a daily reality”.
Ms Hobhouse said: “Extreme weather is damaging crops, putting pressure on farmers, and destroying our precious natural environment.
“We cannot ignore these warning signs.
“A massive new oil field like Rosebank would only make matters worse.
“The emissions would be enormous, locking us into decades more pollution when we should be cutting carbon and unlocking the benefits of cheap, renewable energy.”
Approving the Rosebank development would “make a mockery of Labour’s environmental promises”, she said.
A UK Government spokesperson said: “Our priority is to deliver a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives our clean energy future of energy security, lower bills, and good long-term jobs.”
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