Giddy investors bid up Wal-Mart
Bentonville, Ark. Shares of Wal-Mart experienced the largest single day gain in more than seven months following the release of December same-store sales Thursday morning that topped analysts’ estimates.
Shares of Wal-Mart surged 3.3% to gain $1.50 on the day and closed at $48.40 on heavier than normal volume. The buying binge followed the release Thursday morning of sales results for the five week December reporting period ended Jan. 4 that saw same-store sales increase 2.6%. That figure was at the high end of the company’s earlier guidance which called for same-store sales to increase between 1% and 3% and sharply exceeded the 1.8% increase that analysts were expecting. Total sales for the Wal-Mart’s U.S. stores division increased 5.6% to $29.7 billion as the company cited strength in its pharmacy, grocery and electronics businesses as key drivers.
In anticipation of Thursday’s results, Wal-Mart shares also spiked up 93 cents on Wednesday to close at $46.90. However, the biggest surged of the past 12 months came June 1, 2007 when the company announced plans to scale back U.S. supercenter growth and authorized a $15 billion share repurchase program. That day, shares advanced 3.3% to close up $1.57 at $49.47.
From that point, concerns about the economy, fuel prices and housing led to a pull back in the fall and pessimism about the holiday season kept retail investors on the sidelines throughout November and December in anticipation of the weak December results many retailers posted this morning. That wasn’t the case at Wal-Mart though and the combination of same-store sales outperformance and bullish comments by management were enough to convince investors the company’s merchandising, marketing and operational initiatives were gaining traction at U.S. stores, even though management maintained earnings guidance for the fourth quarter between 99 cents and $1.03.
“Wal-Mart’s food performance was very strong, which helped drive traffic to other areas of the stores,” said Eduardo Castro-Wright, president and ceo of Wal-Mart Stores U.S. “Our price leadership position was clear very early in the holiday season and customers responded throughout the period to our pricing and merchandise offerings which were support by well-integrated advertising and in-store communication.”
Faster, friendlier checkouts and an overall improvement to the in-store experience also contributed to the results, according to Castro-Wright.
“Within the food category, products related to entertaining and holiday baking performed well. Electronics was strong across the board. In apparel, sales were strong in seasonal and licensed items,” Castro-Wright said.
The company said it Sam’s Club division continued to perform well as it posted a 1.3% same store sales increase. Total sales increased 4.3% to $4.9 billion. The international division saw the largest increase as sales advanced 18.2% to nearly $12 billion.