Apple outshines Walmart in stunning fashion

Walmart will report fourth-quarter and full-year results in a few weeks, and the numbers, while they are sure to be extraordinarily large, will pale in comparison to the superlative-defying figures that Apple posted earlier this week.

Walmart is expected to produce a fourth-quarter profit of $1.45 a share on revenues of roughly $124 billion. Those figures are pretty hefty until held up against the absolutely ridiculous numbers Apple reported for its first quarter ended Dec. 31. Sales increased to $46.3 billion from $26.7 billion, net income increased to $13 billion from $6 billion and earnings per share increased to $13.87 from $6.43. Yes, you read that correctly. Those are quarterly numbers. And for good measure, gross margins expanded to 44.7% compared with 38.5%.

By comparison, Walmart’s full-year revenues are expected to approach $450 billion, or roughly 10 times Apple’s first-quarter sales, yet Walmart’s full-year estimated earnings of $4.49 will be about one third of what Apple earned in the first quarter alone. Not sure what this has to do with anything other than it makes for a fascinating study in contrasts.