Walmart tweaks China plan

Article Excerpt

WALMART INC. $76 is a buy. The retail giant (New York symbol WMT; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 8.0 billion; Market cap: $608.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 1.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.walmart.com) has now sold its entire 9.4% stake in Chinese e-commerce retailer JD.com (New York symbol JD) for roughly $3.7 billion. Walmart first formed a partnership with JD.com in 2016. The collaboration was aimed at boosting the popularity of U.S.-made products in China and letting shoppers directly buy from Walmart stores on the JD.com platform. The company plans to use the cash to build out its physical networks in China, including its regular Walmart stores, Sam’s Club membership warehouses and delivery services. Meantime, inflation and interest rate concerns continue to attract cost-conscious shoppers to Walmart’s stores and websites. It now expects to earn between $2.35 and $2.43 a share in the fiscal year ending January 31, 2025, up from its earlier forecast of $2.23 to $2.37 a share. The stock…