Walmart Lifts Full-Year Outlook on Strong Apparel Sales

Walmart Inc. raised its sales guidance for the full year, as the chain expects to draw shoppers searching for deals.

The Bentonville, Arkansas-based company said it now expects net sales to rise as much as 4.75 percent for the year, versus previous guidance for a gain of as much as 4 percent. It also raised its targets for operating income and profits.

“We are seeing that the consumer continues to be discerning, choiceful, value-seeking” and focusing on essentials, chief financial officer John David Rainey said in an interview on Thursday. “We are not seeing any incremental fraying of our customers’ financial health.”

Walmart shares rose 7 percent in premarket trading in New York. The stock is up 31 percent year to date through Wednesday’s close, compared with a 14 percent gain for the S&P 500 Index.

In recent weeks, investors have tried to make sense of murky job markets and stock volatility by looking at companies for clues. Walmart’s bullishness points to an increasingly choosy US consumer facing economic uncertainty and high interest rates. Americans are also pulling back on travel, while deferring big home renovations. Retailers spanning Home Depot Inc. to Wayfair Inc. have signalled a weakening spending environment.

Each month of the quarter remained relatively consistent, and there was no pullback during the latest quarter in July. Higher guidance is a reflection of the company’s outperformance in the first half of the year, Rainey said, adding that uncertainty still lingers due to the upcoming US election and geopolitical unrest in the Middle East.

Walmart said comparable sales in the US rose 4.2 percent, excluding fuel, last quarter driven by higher units and transactions. Analysts expected a gain of 3.4 percent for the metric, which captures revenue generated online and in stores open at least a year. It posted adjusted earnings of 67 cents a share, topping the analysts’ average estimate of 65 cents.

Its sales of general merchandise, which includes products like appliances and clothes, grew after 11 consecutive quarters of declines. The category, which has higher margins, has dragged on the business in recent years as consumers focused more on essentials.

Lawn, garden and seasonal products such as pool noodles were standouts during the quarter. Combining all pool noodles Walmart sold would stretch out to 30,000 football fields, Rainey said. Back-to-school season is off to a healthy start, with stationery being popular.

“Clearly, we see in this economic backdrop that we are quite relevant to our customers and members,” Rainey said.

The shift toward more penny-pinching has propelled Walmart’s business over the past several quarters, making it an outlier among consumer companies generally facing weaker demand. Over the quarter, Walmart added more discounts, which rose 35 percent in food.

Groceries, which make up roughly 60 percent of Walmart’s US sales, have continued to boom, and the retailer is gaining traffic, market share and shoppers across income cohorts. In particular, wealthier shoppers have been a meaningful driver.

E-commerce grew 22 percent in the US, as the operator of about 4,600 stores relies on its vast network of physical locations to fulfill online orders. The company is also investing in advertising, third-party marketplace and other newer businesses that have higher profit margins. Walmart’s US e-commerce business is approaching profitability, a crucial piece of the puzzle in its competition against Amazon.com Inc.

Walmart’s international sales rose 8.3 percent led by Walmex and China. Comparable sales growth in China increased 13.8 percent due to strength at Sam’s Club and in e-commerce. Walmex saw strong sales in food and consumables.

By Jaewon Kang

Learn more:

Gen-Z in Focus as Walmart Relaunches Private-Label Fashion Line

A majority of products will be priced below $15, as Walmart hopes to take on low-cost rivals.