Walmart Earnings Preview: What’s New at the Retail Giant?

Walmart's quarterly report drops this week—and the retail behemoth isn't just stacking cans anymore.

Digital Domination

The company's e-commerce engine keeps humming, with online sales growth outpacing brick-and-mortar. Walmart+ membership numbers are the real metric to watch—they're betting big on subscription loyalty to fend off Amazon's shadow.

Supply Chain Smarts

Automated fulfillment centers and AI-driven inventory systems are cutting costs and bypassing traditional logistics snarls. Same-day delivery now covers over 80% of the U.S. population—a silent logistics war most shoppers never see.

Financial Footprint

Revenue projections hover near $670 billion for the fiscal year, but margins remain thinner than a discount-store receipt. Investors keep hoping for profit magic while the company spends billions on tech infrastructure—the classic 'invest for tomorrow' narrative that makes analysts nod and shareholders sigh.

Watch the guidance, not the headline numbers. Walmart's real story isn't what it sold last quarter—it's how it's rewriting retail's rules while Wall Street checks its watch. Another quarter of 'strategic investments' means another round of financiers pretending they understand supply-chain tech.

Key Takeaways

• Walmart is scheduled on Thursday to release its fourth-quarter results, which will be the first reported since it moved to the Nasdaq and hired a new CEO.
• The retailer has grown revenue by building out same-day delivery service and automating warehouses.

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Walmart is slated to report its fourth-quarter numbers Thursday, releasing its first results since joining the Nasdaq and hiring a new CEO.

Walmart (WMT) executives have spent months telling investors the Arkansas-based company has evolved into a tech-powered retailer with automated warehouses and AI-led marketing. The stock left the New York Stock Exchange and landed on the Nasdaq 100—an index used to track the ups and downs of tech stocks—in January. Weeks later, John Furner assumed the CEO role.

Furner has signaled that automation and e-commerce will remain priorities as same-day delivery orders rise and attract high-income customers. Shoppers of all economic backgrounds have been seeking savings, and companies like Walmart, Target (TGT) and Kroger (KR) have vied for their business by touting price cuts.

Why This News Matters to Investors

As one of the largest mass retailers, Walmart's performance can serve as a barometer of consumer health. Walmart executives often share insight on shifts in customer health and behavior.

Walmart has held its own—and is leaning further in, exploring the creation of "dark format" urban stores to aid delivery in high-population areas. It has reported U.S. comparable sales growth of roughly 4% or higher every quarter of the past two years, according to Visible Alpha. Its membership program has held onto subscribers, who skew younger, Deutsche Bank said.

Analysts expect Walmart to report $190.6 million in quarterly revenue, up about 5.5% from a year earlier, according to consensus estimates from Visible Alpha. They anticipate adjusted earnings per share of about $0.73, compared to $0.62 last year, per Visible Alpha.

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Wall Street analysts broadly think Walmart's stock price will hold steady for a while. They see share prices surpassing $131, according to Visible Alpha's consensus analyst price target, compared to the $129 shares were recently trading for. Walmart shares have gained some 24% over the past year.

Furner hasn't detailed shifts in strategy, but analysts are eager to hear more about his vision.

Walmart "appears to be closing its chapter of building out the foundation for its digital capabilities, including AI, and is shifting gears into acceleration mode," Deutsche Bank said in a note last week. "We expect to hear about his priorities, including areas of investments and outlook on AI/agentic commerce ... discretionary demand, grocery pricing/competition, and rollbacks."