Women Take On Wal-Mart (WMT)

The nation's largest retailer Wal-Mart WMT faces accusations of gender discrimination in potentially the largest class-action suit in history. 600,000 to 1.5 million plaintiffs expressed complaints of gender discrimination in the Wal-Mart workplace. In a lawsuit that began over a decade ago, female employees of Wal-Mart allege that women are regularly overlooked when it comes to hiring and promotion opportunities. In response, executives claim there are strong anti-discrimination policies in effect to prevent treatment of this nature. A hearing today in front of the Supreme Court will determine whether the lawsuit should continue. Chief Justice John Roberts has been unsympathetic to plights of workers in the past, according to the article, and is generally pro-business. This undesirable return to headlines may cause some short-term volatility in Wal-Mart's share price as investors may fear any negative news regarding lawsuit and subsequently sell their holdings; meanwhile speculators may try to earn a quick buck by playing on this fear. Investors may want to pay close attention to the unraveling of this debacle in order to make a smart investment decision if considering the addition of Wal-Mart to his or her portfolio. However, seeing as this has been an ongoing lawsuit for many years, there may still be a large lag between now and any significant market-moving decisions for Wal-Mart. Briefly looking at some statistics, Wal-Mart boasts a forward P/E of 10.69, and is currently trading lower than both its 50-day moving average and its 200-day moving average. Neither Benzinga nor its staff recommends that you buy, sell, or hold any security. We do not offer investment advice, personalized or otherwise. Benzinga recommends that you conduct your own due diligence and consult a certified financial professional for personalized advice about your financial situation.