Hypermarkets & Super Centers

Many analysts believe that foreign direct investment in India's retail sector could help the country tackle many problems including widespread inflation and rampant spoilage of food. You can now add America's largest retailer to that growing list. India will “ultimately” loosen restrictions on...

ISI is out with its report today on Walmart (NYSE: WMT), maintaining Hold. In a note to clients, ISI writes, "WMT equity looks like a better bet to us than a 10-year treasury… but its hard to see great upside as long as Capex/D&A of 160% is needed to support 4% sales growth. Management did say...

According to a recent report from Jefferies, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) hosted its Investor meeting and after a brief update on each division, Wal-Mart spent the meeting reiterating its top priority of turning the U.S. comp store sales positive. After the meeting, Jefferies reiterated a Buy rating and a...

Citi reiterated its Buy rating on Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT). At the same time, Citi left its price target on the company's stock unchanged at $70. In a research report published today, Citi praised Wal-Mart's plan to mend its U.S. operations and increase its international presence in spite of a...

Walmart (NYSE: WMT) has seen eight straight quarters of negative same-store sales. But its smaller Walmart Neighborhood Market stores saw a sales increase of 4% in the first quarter of 2011. The retail giant now says it will begin testing an even smaller-store format called Walmart Express. The...

The history of retailers in the United States has been a history of cycles. Retailers have come and gone: Hudson's (NYSE: M), Service Merchandise, and Montgomery Ward to name but a few. All these companies were economically dominant at one point in time, but have now gone the way of the dinosaurs....

On Friday, The Economic Times reported that China is planning to weaken its control over the yuan, working to make it convertible within the next five years. Until now, the Chinese have kept a tight grip on the yuan--requiring governmental approval for those who wish to convert the currency. This...

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) announced at its 41st Annual Meeting of Shareholders today that its Board of Directors approved a new program authorizing the company to repurchase $15 billion of its shares. This program replaces the previous $15 billion program, announced on June 4, 2010, that...

US stock futures are lower this morning, as investors are awaiting payrolls figures. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 30 points to 12,208.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index fell 3.50 points to 1,308.90. Nasdaq 100 futures declined 6.75 points to 2,319.25. US stocks...

Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are: Diamond Foods Inc (NASDAQ: DMND) swung to a Q3 profit and lifted its projections for the year. DMND reported its quarterly profit at $7.7 million, or $0.34 per share, versus a loss of $4.3 million, or $0.22 per share, in the year-earlier...

According to Piper Jaffray, Costco (NASDAQ: COST) Overweight rating is reiterated. Piper Jaffray said that it is reiterating its OW rating with a PT of $88 following the reported May +13% comp, which was at the upper end of our range of +12% to +13% and easily exceeding consensus of ~+10.5%. “The...

According to Jefferies, Costco (NASDAQ: COST) core US sales were in-line with the upper end of expectations while International was better than expected. Jefferies said that Costco continues to benefit from inflation in food and gas. “In periods of rising prices, consumers are seeking out the low...

According to Citi, Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) reported May SSS of +13%, at the high-end of the 11 to 13% estimate range, above consensus of +10.9%, and vs. +9.0% last year. Citi said that SSS at domestic clubs were up +11%, while comps at the international clubs increased +21%. “Gasoline...

Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ: COST) reported a 13% rise in its May comparable-store sales on Thursday. The retailer's net sales surged 17% to $7.14 billion, from $6.09 billion in the year-ago month. However, analysts expected same-store sales to rise 11.2% for the month. Its same-store sales...

Pre-open movers US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting data on jobless claims and sales data from retailers. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 32 points to 12,306.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index rose 4.10 points to 1,316.20. Nasdaq 100...