Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT): Today's Featured Retail Laggard

Wal-Mart Stores was a leading decliner within the retail industry, falling $1.57 (-2.1%) to $73.45 on heavy volume.
By TheStreet Wire ,

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model

.

Wal-Mart Stores

(

WMT

) pushed the Retail industry lower today making it today's featured Retail laggard. The industry as a whole closed the day up 1.5%. By the end of trading, Wal-Mart Stores fell $1.57 (-2.1%) to $73.45 on heavy volume. Throughout the day, 12.6 million shares of Wal-Mart Stores exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 6.9 million shares. The stock ranged in price between $73.15-$75.16 after having opened the day at $75.13 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $75.02. Other companies within the Retail industry that declined today were:

Zumiez

(

ZUMZ

), down 16.6%,

Ross Stores

(

ROST

), down 6.3%,

Stein Mart

(

SMRT

), down 4.3%, and

Rite Aid Corporation

(

RAD

), down 4.3%.

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Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates retail stores in various formats worldwide. It operates retail stores, restaurants, discount stores, supermarkets, supercenters, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, apparel stores, Sam's Clubs, and neighborhood markets, as well as walmart.com; and samsclub.com. Wal-Mart Stores has a market cap of $252.48 billion and is part of the services sector. The company has a P/E ratio of 15.8, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 25.6% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday. Currently there are 11 analysts that rate Wal-Mart Stores a buy, no analysts rate it a sell, and 10 rate it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates Wal-Mart Stores as a

buy

. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, growth in earnings per share, revenue growth, notable return on equity and increase in net income. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow.

On the positive front,

Aeropostale

(

ARO

), up 10.5%,

Bon-Ton Stores

(

BONT

), up 10%,

Advance Auto Parts

(

AAP

), up 8.8%, and

Abercrombie & Fitch

(

ANF

), up 8.7%, were all gainers within the retail industry with

eBay

(

EBAY

) being today's featured retail industry leader.

For investors not wanting singular stock exposure, ETFs may be of interest. Investors who are bullish on the retail industry could consider

SPDR S&P Retail ETF

(

XRT

) while those bearish on the retail industry could consider

ProShares Ultra Sht Consumer Goods

(

SZK

).

FREE for a limited time only: Get TheStreet Ratings #1 Stock Report NOW!

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