Walmart Showcases Business Strategy Focused on Driving Growth and Shareholder Value
Company reaffirms Q1 sales guidance and shares vision for growth and enhanced customer experience at Investment Community Meeting; FY2026 guidance remains unchanged.
“The combination of a purpose-driven, people-centric culture with world-class technology is the winning formula,” said
The meeting will provide attendees a view into the company’s strategy to:
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Drive growth by improving customer and member experiences.
Walmart’s low prices and growing eCommerce assortment combined with the convenience of faster delivery, curbside pickup and in-store shopping are driving growth. -
Create shareholder value by strengthening its business model.
The company’s evolving business model is designed to deliver strong returns as it better serves customers and members. Reshaping its profit mix allows the company to invest in lower prices for customers, associate wages, and experience-enhancing technologies while growing profit faster than sales, strengthening cash flows and delivering higher capital returns for shareholders.
In addition to the longer-term strategy, executives will also speak to the current operating environment ahead of its Q1 earnings report
“History tells us that when we lean into these periods of uncertainty,
Rainey also added, “We have fundamentally changed our business model through years of thoughtful, strategic investments and now have a financial model that yields much higher returns.”
At its last investor meeting in April of 2023,
- Generated annual top-line growth over 5% and adjusted operating income growth1 of almost 10% with all business segments contributing to growth.
- Delivered eCommerce sales growth of over 20% annually for two years with eCommerce accounting for 18 % of net sales.
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Expanded delivery catchment to be able to deliver food, general merchandise, and prescriptions to 93% of the
U.S. in less than three hours.
- Accelerated growth of membership across formats, with Sam’s Club and Walmart+ membership benefits expanding and renewals advancing higher.
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Grown global advertising to
$4.4 billion ; finalized the acquisition of VIZIO in theU.S. inDecember 2024 .
- Made enhancements in assortment, improvements in omni experiences, investments in associates, new stores, automation and fast delivery which are expected to drive future growth.
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Expanded
U.S. marketplace and launched marketplaces in multiple global markets.
- Invested in price, with more than 30,000 items priced lower through the company’s rollback program.
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Invested in owned brands, including the launch of bettergoods, a private brand in food;
Walmart U.S. has 21 private brands with over$1B each in annual sales, five with over$5B each in sales.
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Renovated 1,930 stores & clubs, and built 373 more; invested
$22 billion in capex annually including$19 billion in theU.S.
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Deployed more than
$7 billion to share repurchases and raised the dividend by the largest amount in over a decade.
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Noted that PhonePe recently announced that it has begun preparatory steps for a potential IPO in
India .
Event Livestream
Event livestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/tGHr3M7GgpY beginning at
About
Forward Looking Statements
This release and related management presentation contains statements that may be "forward-looking statements" as defined in, and are intended to enjoy the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are also forward-looking statements. Statements of our guidance, projections, estimates, expectations, plans, and objectives for the first quarter and remainder of fiscal 2026 in this press release and related management presentation are forward-looking statements.Assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are also forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are not statements of historical facts, but instead express our estimates or expectations for our consolidated economic performance or results of operations for future periods or as of future dates or events or developments that may occur in the future or discuss our plans, objectives or goals. These forward-looking statements can be identified by their use of words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “could,” “could be,” “believe,” “expect,” “forecast,” “plan,” “projected,” “will be” “will improve,” variations of such words or phrases or similar words and phrases denoting anticipated or expected occurrences or results. The forward-looking statements that we make are based on our knowledge of our business and our operating environment and assumptions that we believe to be or will believe to be reasonable when such forward-looking statements were or are made. Our actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any of these forward-looking statements as a result of changes in circumstances, assumptions not being realized or other risks, uncertainties and factors including: the impact of pandemics on our business and the global economy; economic, capital markets and business conditions; trends and events around the world and in the markets in which we operate; currency exchange rate fluctuations, changes in market interest rates and market levels of wages; changes in the size of various markets, including eCommerce markets; unemployment levels; inflation or deflation, generally and in particular product categories; consumer confidence, disposable income, credit availability, spending levels, shopping patterns, debt levels and demand for certain merchandise; the effectiveness of the implementation and operation of our strategies, plans, programs and initiatives; unexpected changes in our objectives and plans; the impact of acquisitions, investments, divestitures, store or club closures, and other strategic decisions; our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses, including within the eCommerce space; changes in the trading prices of certain equity investments we hold; initiatives of competitors, competitors' entry into and expansion in our markets, and competitive pressures; customer traffic and average ticket in our stores and clubs and on our eCommerce websites; the mix of merchandise we sell, the cost of goods we sell and the shrinkage we experience; trends in consumer shopping habits around the world and in the markets in which we operate; our gross profit margins; the financial performance of
Our most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the
This release and related management presentation reference certain non-GAAP measures as defined under
1 See non-GAAP reconciliations for Adjusted Operating Income in prior fiscal years’ earnings presentations
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