(Reuters) – Walmart announced Thursday to provide for lower sales to expectations for the fiscal year ending in January 2026, suggesting that the American distribution giant anticipates a slowdown in demand, while inflation weighs on consumers after Several quarters of sustained growth.
On the New York Stock Exchange, the Walmart title fell 7% before the bell, after taking around 72% last year and hit a new 105 dollars (100.58 euros) record last week.
Some analysts note that Walmart generally issues cautious forecasts at the start of the fiscal year.
The largest retailer in the world provides for an increase in its annual consolidated net sales of 3 to 4%, against growth of 4% anticipated by analysts, according to LSEG data. These forecasts take into account an impact of 100 basic points linked to the passing year in 2024.
Walmart is this year one of the first major American retailers to publish its figures for the holiday season, thus giving indications on the performance of the sector during this essential quarter, as well as on the prospects for activity of Group in a context of increase in customs duties wanted by US President Donald Trump.
“In our opinion, these prospects are a little more cautious than in the past. And I think it is probably due to the fact that there are many uncertainties this year,” said Arun Sundaram, analyst at Cfra Research.
According to him, Walmart sales in stores comparable to the United States could have been higher without the slowdown in January, when American retail sales recorded their strongest monthly decline in two years.
“It is clear that low-income consumers continue to undergo the negative effects of high inflation and high interest rates,” he added.
Walmart nevertheless showed its resilience with an increase of 4.9% of its comparable sales in the United States in the fourth quarter, above the expectations of analysts who tabled on an increase of 4.15%, according to LSEG data.
Walmart provides for a profit adjusted by action for the financial year 2026 between 2.50 and 2.60 dollars, while analysts rely on a profit of 2.76 dollars, according to data compiled by LSEG.
(Written by Savyata Mishra in Bangalore and Siddharth Cavale in New York; Elena Smirnova, edited by Augustin Turpin)
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