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Walmart IncWMTDON'T BUYOct 29, 2015Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Oct 16, 2026. Market Open.
WMT and COST are the dominant discount retailers in the US. They became priced for perfection, with multiples of 40-50x PE for a large, mature company. Might be a great company, but that multiple's for a younger company, growing at very high rates because it can get a lot bigger. Both are in the process of compressing to a 20x PE multiple.
Either earnings are better than expected and stock trends sideways. Or earnings are worse, and multiple goes down. Either way, not much upside.
Both great companies, but both very expensive. COST is over 50x PE, and WMT's in the 40s. Fairly low-margin model. Reliant on the consumer, and everyone's affected when that consumer is struggling.
WMT reported today. Earnings were OK, but projections on future quarters were tough. High fuel prices were highlighted.
Successful transition to e-commerce is why stock's been on fire. Topline growth is only 4-5%, and his team debates this company all the time. PE is 46x earnings for 2026, extremely expensive. Seen as a safe place to park $$ as they continue to execute.
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Has a few headwinds. First is the FX. 30% of revenues come from outside the US. Secondly, labour costs are going up with them. They need to try to keep the people they have on staff on board, and their wages are moving higher. Another thing that is affecting this company is their foray into more of the e-commerce type of space, and trying to compete against companies like Amazon, etc. That is going to cost them money. The long-term growth rate is looking pretty paltry at about a single digit growth rate.