--- title: "After Biggest One-Day Decline Since 2022, Is Walmart Stock a Buy?" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/296700587.md" description: "Walmart stock dropped sharply after announcing it will use $2.9 billion in tariff refunds to lower consumer prices, negatively impacting Q3 results. Despite disappointing Q3 guidance, Walmart raised its full-year outlook and reported strong Q2 revenue of $187.94 billion. While the price cuts aim to boost long-term loyalty, the stock remains expensive with a forward P/E of nearly 36x. The author views Walmart as a solid long-term hold but prefers Amazon for better growth." datetime: "2026-08-23T10:51:45.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/296700587.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296700587.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/296700587.md) generator: "portal-rs" --- # After Biggest One-Day Decline Since 2022, Is Walmart Stock a Buy? Shares of **Walmart** (WMT +0.10%) saw their worst one-day drop since 2022 after the retailer said it would use its approximately $2.9 billion in tariff refunds to lower prices for consumers, which would negatively impact its third-quarter results. The company indicated that consumers appear to be stretched due to high gasoline prices, but that overall they remain resilient and keep spending, helped by wage growth. Following its dip, the stock is now down about 7% on the year, as of Aug. 20. Let's dive into the retail stock's quarterly results to see if the pullback is a buying opportunity or if investors should stay away. ![Walmart logo.](https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://g.foolcdn.com/image//query-b3A9cmVzaXplJnVybD1odHRwczovL2cuZm9vbGNkbi5jb20vZWRpdG9yaWFsL2ltYWdlcy84ODQ0NDUvd210LnBuZyZ3PTM4NDA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg) Image source: Getty Images ## **Solid results but soft outlook** Walmart has always been known as the low-cost leader, so its decision to push down prices in response to the tariff refund isn't completely surprising. However, lowering costs will impact its sales growth and operating margins in the near term. For Q3, Walmart forecasted that its sales would rise between 3% and 3.75%, which was well below the nearly 6% consensus. Its adjusted EPS guidance of $0.62 to $0.64, meanwhile, fell short of the $0.68 that analysts were expecting. Despite the disappointing Q3 guidance, the company did raise its full-year outlook. It now anticipates adjusted EPS of between $2.80 and $2.87 on sales growth of 4% to 5%. That's up from a prior projection for EPS of $2.75 to $2.85 on revenue growth of 3.5% to 4.5%. Ultimately, the retailer expects its decision to lower prices to help accelerate sales and lead to market share gains. Turning to Walmart's fiscal Q2 results, its revenue rose nearly 6% to $187.94 billion, topping the $186.77 billion consensus, as compiled by **LSEG**. Walmart U.S. store sales rose 3.5% to $125.2 billion, while same-store sales increased by 2.6%. The number of transactions rose by 1.5%, while the average ticket climbed 1.1%. E-commerce sales, meanwhile, surged 24%. Excluding health and wellness, which is being impacted by industry regulations, same-store sales would have been 3.4% Internationally, Walmart sales climbed nearly 13% to $35.2 billion, and were up nearly 8% in constant currencies. China led the way with nearly 21% constant currency growth. International e-commerce sales jumped 19%. Sam's Club U.S., its warehouse store concept, saw sales (excluding fuel) increase by 4.5%. Same-store sales, excluding fuel, climbed 4.4%. Transactions rose 7%, while the average ticket fell 2.5%. E-commerce sales jumped 26%, while membership revenue rose 6% year over year. Adjusted EPS climbed 19% to $0.81. That topped the $0.74 consensus. Expand ![Walmart Stock Quote](https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://g.foolcdn.com/image//query-b3A9cmVzaXplJnVybD1odHRwczovL2cuZm9vbGNkbi5jb20vYXJ0L2NvbXBhbnlsb2dvcy9tYXJrL1dNVC5wbmcmdz0xMjg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg) ## NASDAQ: WMT Walmart Today's Change (0.10%) $0.11 Current Price $103.70 ### Key Data Points Market Cap $825BMarket cap calculated using publicly traded shares outstanding only. Does not include unlisted, private, or dual-class non-traded shares. Implied market cap may vary. Day's Range $102.15 - $104.28 52wk Range $95.42 - $135.16 Volume 44.5M Avg Vol 24.7M Gross Margin 26.75% Dividend Yield 0.94% ## **Is the stock a buy on the dip?** Walmart is one of the world's great retailers, and the company has proven to be a solid grower in all types of economic conditions, which helps set it apart in the space. In recent years, the company has done a great job of bringing in more affluent customers, catering not just to their desire for low prices, but also goods like higher-quality meats and produce, and same-day delivery convenience. As such, even as its core lower income customers have shown some struggles, Walmart continued to prosper. While the decision to invest its tariff refund in price cuts will impact short-term results, it once again should create strong loyalty among its customers. That's a pretty good long trade-off. That said, the stock was pricey going into the earnings report, and it still isn't cheap after the sell-off, trading at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of nearly 36 times current fiscal year estimates and nearly 32 times next year's fiscal estimates. I think Walmart remains a solid long-term holding and that it will eventually bounce back, but I much prefer the cheaper and faster-growing **Amazon** stock in the retail space. ### Related Stocks - [WMT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WMT.US.md) - [AMZN.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZN.US.md) - [LSEG.UK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/LSEG.UK.md) ## Related News & Research - [WMT Stock Slides as Walmart Same-Store Sales Disappoint](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296524455.md) - [Walmart sees the slowest pace in US comparable sales in 6 years and offers cautious guidance](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296505476.md) - [Why Is Walmart Stock Falling Thursday?](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296523377.md) - [Here's how Walmart is using $2.9B in tariff refunds](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296644395.md) - [Walmart gets nearly $3B in tariff refunds, invests in lower US prices](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296485514.md) --- > **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**