Walmart (NYSE:WMT), the world’s largest retailer, has been making quite a bit of stories these days. On Tuesday, it posted fourth-quarter earnings results that soundly beat analysts’ estimates. It also raised its dividend for the 51st consecutive 12 months, bumping it up 9% this quarter.
Also on Tuesday, Walmart announced that it was buying Vizio (NYSE:VZIO), the smart TV and electronics company, to bolster its media business, Walmart Connect. Moreover, it should conduct a three-for-one stock split on Feb. 23, meaning each currently owned share will robotically turn out to be three shares, and the per-share price will drop to one-third of the present price.
Investors were pleased with these actions and the Walmart’s earnings results, as its stock price rose about 4% in Tuesday-morning trading to $177 per share. Let’s take a look at what these changes might amount to for investors.
Walmart beats estimates and buys Vizio
Walmart capped off 12 months with a solid fourth quarter that ended Jan. 31 as its revenue jumped 5.7% 12 months over 12 months within the quarter to $173 billion. For the complete fiscal 12 months, the retailer’s sales rose 6% to $648 billion. Walmart’s operating income climbed 30% within the quarter to $7.3 billion and 32% for the complete 12 months to $27 billion.
Further, its adjusted earnings per share (EPS), excluding special items, hit $1.80 for the quarter, up 5.3% 12 months over 12 months and well ahead of the consensus estimate of $1.64 per share. For the complete fiscal 12 months, Walmart’s adjusted EPS was $6.65, up 5.7% from the previous 12 months.
The large-box retailer’s U.S. net sales rose 3.4% within the quarter to $117 billion, including a 17% boost in e-commerce sales. Walmart International saw a 17.6% increase in net sales to $32.4 billion within the quarter, while its global e-commerce sales rose 23% 12 months over 12 months.
Along with the expansion in e-commerce, Walmart saw the revenue from its global promoting business increase 33%, including a 22% increase in Walmart Connect.
Walmart Connect is the corporate’s multi-channel promoting arm, which looks to attach advertisers with customers. The acquisition of Vizio announced on Tuesday is designed to bolster that business by giving Walmart ownership of the Vizio SmartCast Operating System, which is basically a built-in streaming platform on Vizio smart TVs.
Thus, Walmart won’t only own a serious TV brand, but more importantly, the SmartCast system will provide a sturdy platform on which to advertise and advertise its products. It’s seen as a way for Walmart to spice up its revenue on this high-margin business.
“We consider the mix of those two businesses can be impactful as we redefine the intersection of retail and entertainment,” said Seth Dallaire, executive vice chairman and chief revenue officer at Walmart U.S. in a press release.
The deal is valued at about $2.3 billion.
Stock split: It’ll be cheaper, however it is a price?
The opposite big news for Walmart, set to occur just a couple of days from now, is the three-for-one stock split. Which means shareholders as of the close of the market on Feb. 22 will receive two additional shares for every share they hold. Thus, when you own one share price $180, you’ll then own three shares after the split, with each price $60 per share. As mentioned above, the brand new share price will likely be a 3rd of what the share price is on the close of the market on Thursday.
Walmart has had nine stock splits throughout its history, with the last one done in 1999. With the stock now trading at an all-time high of about $177 per share, the corporate felt the time was right to do one other stock split to maintain the worth accessible to its employees — and investors.
“Sam Walton believed it was essential to maintain our share price in a variety where purchasing whole shares, relatively than fractions, was accessible to all of our associates,” said Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon in a press release. “Given our growth and our plans for the long run, we felt it was time to separate the stock and encourage our associates to take part in the years to return.”
Thus, as of next week, Walmart stock will likely be lots more accessible to investors, trading in a probable range of between $50 and $60 per share. Nevertheless, some investors is likely to be wondering if Walmart is a greater value at that cheaper entry point.
The large-box retailer still looks like a reasonably good cope with a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of about 28, down from 44 a 12 months ago at the moment. The forward P/E of 24 also looks reasonable, given the firm’s outlook for the present fiscal 12 months. Walmart is looking for a 3% to 4% increase in net sales and a 4% to six% rise in operating income this fiscal 12 months. Further, its adjusted EPS is estimated to be between $6.70 and $7.12 before the stock split, up from $6.65 within the last fiscal 12 months.
Walmart has also typically outperformed in slower-growing markets and economies, so it looks like a solid option right away.
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