So Walmart just casually dropped three bombshells in one earnings call, and honestly? It’s like watching your reliable friend suddenly become the coolest person at the party.
First up: They absolutely crushed Q3 earnings. We’re talking revenue of $179.5 billion (beating estimates by $2 billion), and earnings per share that jumped 35% to 77 cents. In a world where everyone’s worried about tariffs, inflation, and whether people can still afford groceries, Walmart said “hold my shopping cart” and delivered.
But here’s where it gets interesting. Same-store sales—the metric that separates the retail winners from the “going out of business” signs—grew 4.5%. That’s not just good; that’s “we’re stealing customers from everyone else” good.
The real plot twist? E-commerce sales jumped 27%. Remember when Walmart was just that big box store your parents dragged you to? Yeah, those days are over. They’re now crushing it online, with their pickup and delivery game so strong it’s making Amazon sweat a little.
And get this—their advertising business grew 53%. Fifty-three percent! Turns out, when you own Vizio TVs and have a captive audience of millions of shoppers, brands will pay handsomely to get in front of them. Who knew?
Plot twist number two: CEO musical chairs. Doug McMillon, who’s been running the show, announced he’s retiring at the end of January. But before you panic-sell, meet his replacement: John Furner, who started as an hourly employee 32 years ago and worked his way up to running Walmart US. This isn’t some outside hire who’s going to “revolutionize” everything—it’s the guy who already knows where all the bodies are buried.
McMillon’s parting words? “I’m as excited about the future of this company as I’ve ever been.” Translation: “I’m not bailing because things are bad; I’m leaving because they’re so good I can finally take that vacation.”
Plot twist number three: Walmart is ditching the NYSE for Nasdaq. After 52 years on the New York Stock Exchange, they’re moving to the tech-focused Nasdaq on December 9th. Why? Because apparently, they’re not just a retailer anymore—they’re a “technology-forward” company. (Their words, not mine, but honestly, fair point.)
The numbers don’t lie: Walmart raised their full-year guidance, calling for sales growth of up to 5.1% and adjusted earnings per share of up to $2.63. The stock jumped 6% and is up 18% year-to-date, sitting pretty at $107 per share.
Here’s the thing—while everyone’s been obsessing over AI stocks and crypto, Walmart quietly became a tech company that happens to sell groceries. They’ve got e-commerce, advertising, streaming (through Vizio), and a membership program that’s growing 16.7% year-over-year.
The bottom line? Sometimes the most boring-looking stocks pull off the biggest surprises. Walmart just proved that being “old school” doesn’t mean you can’t learn new tricks—especially when those tricks involve taking market share from everyone else while printing money.
Not bad for a company that started in Arkansas selling discount goods, right?