UBS Cuts Price Target on Wal-mart (WMT) to $75 Following 2Q16

The Most Important Thing to Stop the Bloodletting in Wal-Mart (WMT) Stock

August 19, 2015 7:44 AM EDT

Down 3.4% yesterday following earnings and down 19% year-to-date given miscalculations and intense pressure from online retailers, investors in Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) may be wondering if the stock will ever find a bottom. However, one thing may be able to save the stock... the dividend.

In a note to clients today, Credit Suisse analyst Michael Exstein... More

Market Wrap: Housing Starts Outpace in July; Greece Geets Rating Boost; Wal-mart Cuts 2015 Outlook

August 18, 2015 5:25 PM EDT

Market wrap for August 18th

End of the Day: S&P 500 down 5.5 to 2,096.92; Dow Jones down 33.8 to 17,511.34; Nasdaq down 32.4 to 5,059.35

Market Brief: U.S. markets moved lower as China equities fell around 6 percent Tuesday amid speculation of further yuan devaluation. Traders note that more companies might pull money out of China should the economy continue to slow, which may ebb the government's move to support the currency.

Wal-mart issued a Q2 earnings miss, while also trimming FY15... More

Gilford Securities Downgrades Wal-Mart (WMT) to Neutral

August 18, 2015 3:14 PM EDT

Gilford Securities downgraded Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) from Buy to Neutral.

For an analyst ratings summary and ratings history on Wal-Mart click here. For more ratings news on Wal-Mart click here.

Shares of Wal-Mart closed at $71.91 yesterday.

... More

Notable 52-Week Highs and Lows 8/18: (HD) (IQNT) (ROST) High; (WMT) (ANFI) (FRAN) Low

August 18, 2015 2:53 PM EDT

52-Week High:The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE: HD) $123.80. Home Depot as it reported in-line Q2 EPS of $1.71, though comparable-store sales groth of 4.2 percent outpaced expectations. The retailer also increased its FY15 EPS outlook to a range of $5.31 to $5.36, with consensus estimates at $5.27. For more color on the results, click here.

Inteliquent, Inc. (Nasdaq:... More

Wal-Mart's (WMT) Q2 Results Were 'Mixed Bag', Says Deutsche Bank

August 18, 2015 1:15 PM EDT

Deutsche Bank affirmed a Hold rating on Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) but trimmed its price target to $76.00 (prior $80.00). The change follows Q2 results, which analyst Paul Trussell called a "mixed bag."

"2Q was a mixed bag as comp surprised to the upside at 1.5%,... More

Wal-Mart's British supermarket chain Asda hits 'nadir'

August 18, 2015 12:16 PM EDT

By James Davey

LONDON (Reuters) - Wal-Mart's (NYSE: WMT) British supermarket chain Asda slumped to its worst quarterly sales performance in the 16 years it has been owned by the U.S. group, with results on Tuesday highlighting its struggles in the face of an onslaught from the discounters.

Asda and rivals Sainsbury's , Morrisons (NYSE: MRW) and market leader Tesco (NASDAQ: TSCO) are... More

Pre-Open Stock Movers 08/18: (OMER) (ESPR) (SUNE) (DKS) (HD) Higher; (APP) (SNDK) (WMT) Lower (more...)

August 18, 2015 9:30 AM EDT

Omeros (NASDAQ: OMER) 64.4% HIGHER; announced additional positive data in the company's Phase 2 clinical trial of OMS721 for the treatment of thrombotic microangiopathies (TMAs). TMAs are a family of rare, debilitating and life-threatening disorders characterized by excessive thrombi (clots) aggregations of platelets in the... More

Housing starts near eight-year high, but permits fall

August 18, 2015 8:33 AM EDT

By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. housing starts rose to a near eight-year high in July as builders ramped up construction of single-family homes, suggesting that the economy was firing on almost all cylinders.

The Commerce Department report on Tuesday added to solid payrolls, retail sales and industrial output data in suggesting the economy got off to a strong start in the third quarter. The steady flow of upbeat economic reports has bolstered views that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in September.

"The Fed is likely to take further reassurance that... More

Wal-Mart lowers expansion plan for smaller format stores

August 18, 2015 8:04 AM EDT

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) said on Tuesday that it now plans to open 160 to 170 of its smaller format stores in the full year to January, down from a previous plan for 180 to 200 stores.

The retailer said in an earnings... More

Wal-Mart, materials shares drag Wall St. lower

August 18, 2015 7:25 AM EDT

By Rodrigo Campos

(Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 trading in its tightest daily range in nearly a month, weighed down by earnings-related selling in Wal-Mart and a drop in commodity stocks on concerns about China's economy.

Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) fell 3.4 percent to close at $69.48, its lowest in nearly 2-1/2 years, after its profit missed estimates and it cut its outlook.

Chinese stocks fell more than 6 percent overnight. Fears that Beijing may be intent on a deeper devaluation of the yuan pushed oil prices and industrial... More

Wal-Mart profit misses estimates; cuts outlook as pharmacy margins bite

August 18, 2015 7:19 AM EDT

By Nathan Layne

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT) reported weaker quarterly earnings and lowered its annual forecast on Tuesday, as it copes with higher labor costs, a squeeze on pharmacy margins and sliding sales at its British supermarket chain.

Shares of the world's largest retailer fell 3 percent to $69.75 after trading at its lowest in 2-1/2 years.

The results showed how a move to lift wages and other costs have kept Wal-Mart from taking full advantage of a strengthening U.S. economy, although there was a bright spot in its report: a fourth... More

Wal-mart (WMT) Misses Q2 EPS by 4c; Lowers Outlook

August 18, 2015 7:02 AM EDT

(Updated - August 18, 2015 7:06 AM EDT)

Wal-mart (NYSE: WMT) reported Q2 EPS of $1.08, $0.04 worse than the analyst estimate of $1.12. Revenue for the quarter came in at $120.2 billion versus the consensus estimate of $119.77 billion. On a constant currency basis, total revenue was $124.5... More

Wall Street stocks dip after Chinese market tumbles

August 17, 2015 8:59 PM EDT

By Chuck Mikolajczak

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A 6.0 percent tumble in Chinese shares on Tuesday, and weak earnings from Wal-Mart pressured U.S. stocks and copper prices saw six year lows.

Chinese stocks earlier plunged on concerns that companies may pull more money out of China as economic growth slows, lowering earnings for U.S. and European companies dependent on revenue from China.

The Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC closed down 6.1 percent at 3,749.12 points in its biggest daily decline since July 27, after recovering for three days. The CSI300 index .CSI300 of the largest listed companies in Shanghai and... More

Trading Radar for 8/17: Wal-mart (WMT), Home Depot (HD), Dick's (DKS), Weibo (WB), Canadian Solar (CSIQ) Report

August 17, 2015 2:09 PM EDT

The Trading Radar highlights key earnings and economic announcements for the next trading session:

Before Markets Open:
Economics:
8:30am EDT

Housing Starts - street sees 1.200MBuilding Permits - Street sees 1.257M

Earnings:

Akers Biosciences (Nasdaq: AKER) - no Street consensus
Blue Bird... More

Target promotes CFO John Mulligan to newly created COO role

August 17, 2015 9:07 AM EDT

(Reuters) - Target Corp (NYSE: TGT) promoted Chief Financial Officer John Mulligan to the newly created role of chief operating officer, and appointed Express Scripts Holding Co's (NASDAQ: ESRX) CFO, Cathy Smith, as his replacement.

The moves are the latest management changes... More