Walmart Reportedly Explores Buying Vizio To Grow Sales Again

(CTN News) – A strong quarter of sales is expected to be reported by Walmart, but the notion of a resilient consumer seems to be losing ground.

On Tuesday, the largest retailer in the country will release its fourth-quarter earnings. According to consensus data, same-store sales will grow 3.2%, down from 8.8% last year.

In Q4, Placer.ai reported that foot traffic in its stores dropped by 1.1%, but then improved at the end of December and began to increase in January.

It is expected that US same-store sales will increase 5.35% for the full fiscal year, as consumers, especially those with higher incomes, have begun flocking to the value retailer for groceries in late 2022.

Walmart’s store and online transactions will continue to be supported by grocery share gains and trade-downs, according to Bank of America analyst Robert Ohmes.

According to Joe Feldman, senior managing director of Telsey Advisory Group, all eyes are on the grocery business this quarter and any shift in discretionary spending. It is also important for investors to pay attention to the return of operating profits that are growing faster than sales, indicating an expansion of margins.

As Walmart gave soft guidance for the remainder of 2023, CEO Doug McMillon noted a “pressured consumer.” As a result, Walmart raised its forecast for earnings per share to $6.40-$6.48, higher than its previous guidance of $6.36-$6.46, but lower than the $6.48 that was expected at the time.

In anticipation of Walmart’s earnings report and the 3-for-1 stock split, Walmart shares reached a record high on Friday.

Further investments by Walmart in digital and advertising

According to this earnings report, the retail giant is seeking to compete with Amazon Prime on a number of fronts. The Wall Street Journal reports that Walmart is in negotiations to acquire TV maker and video platform Vizio for $2 billion.

Walmart will be able to take advantage of TV viewership data to market its products across its ecosystems if the deal goes through.

Wedbush analyst Alicia Reese wrote in a client note that the retailer could also offer direct e-commerce sales on the connected TV platform – an opportunity that is expected to be “massive” as consumers continue to cut their cords – and this could allow the retailer to gain additional information about its customers and viewers.

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