Retail giant Walmart shared the financial report for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 on Tuesday and beat the Wall Street estimates on earnings and revenue. The company’s results were a lot better than expected, causing its stock to reach an all-time high intra-day price of $88.27 per share.
For Q3, Walmart reported $0.58 in adjusted earnings per share while the analysts expected $0.53 per share. The revenue figure came at $169.59 billion compared to estimates of $167.72 billion and $160.80 billion from the year before.
Walmart also feels optimistic about its full-year results. The company updated its 2024 forecasts and now expects net sales to grow between 4.8% and 5.1%. It previously projected growth between 3.75% and 4.75%.
The retailer has seen particular success with its e-commerce platform, where sales grew 22% on a year-over-year basis. Customers are increasingly embracing the convenience of shopping from their homes while also being ready to pay extra fees for faster deliveries. Overall, online sales now make up 18% of Walmart’s business.
“We’re seeing good progress in core e-commerce margins. There are a few key factors driving this improvement: delivery densification, increased penetration of paid expedited delivery orders, and the automation of our supply chain,” Walmart CFO John David Rainey said during the earnings call.
After reaching the all-time high early on Tuesday, Walmart stock slipped slightly and finished the day with a gain of 3% and a close price of $86.60 per share. It is currently 63.09% up year-to-date.