Key Points – Walmart beat first-quarter sales expectations, with constant-currency sales up nearly 6% and U.S. comparable sales rising 4.1%.
Management said growth was driven by stronger transactions, e-commerce, marketplace gains and higher advertising and membership revenue. – Profit was pressured by higher fuel costs, which added about $175 million in unexpected expenses and limited operating income growth
Even so, Walmart reiterated its full-year outlook, including sales growth of 3.5% to 4.5% and EPS of $2.75 to $2.85. – E-commerce and higher-margin services continue to scale quickly, with enterprise e-commerce sales up 26%, U.S. marketplace sales up almost 50%, and advertising and membership revenue both growing strongly. Executives also highlighted faster delivery, AI tools like Sparky, and automation as key long-term growth drivers. – Target Shows Strengths, But Analysts Want to See More Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) executives said the retailer delivered stronger-than-expected first-quarter fiscal 2027 sales growth, driven by higher transactions, e-commerce momentum, marketplace gains and growth in advertising and membership revenue, while higher fuel costs weighed on operating income. CEO John Furner said Walmart’s business is “performing how we expect it to,” adding that U.S. consumers are showing signs of pressure and are looking to the retailer for value.
He said Walmart has continued investing in prices and now has about 7,200 rollbacks in place, including a recently launched basket of grilling essentials designed to feed eight people for under $5 per person. – Ternus the Page: Apple’s Engineering Prodigy Takes the Reins “Transaction growth in the U.S. was the strongest we’ve seen in six quarters,” Furner said. He added that Walmart is gaining market share and that transactions and unit growth are driving the top line. Sales Beat Guidance, Fuel Costs Pressure Profit Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey said constant-currency sales rose nearly 6% in the…