Earnings Exceed Guidance and First Call Consensus Estimate Highlights
- Walmart reports fourth quarter earnings per share of $1.23 and adjusted earnings per share(1) of $1.17, five cents above the company's latest guidance and five cents above the First Call consensus estimate.
- The company's full year EPS was $3.72 and adjusted EPS was $3.66.
- Net sales for the full year topped $405 billion, with International net sales exceeding $100 billion for the first time. Walmart U.S. comparable store sales for the fourth quarter were below guidance.
- Consolidated operating income for the fourth quarter was $7.3 billion, up 13.8 percent from last year.
- The company leveraged operating expenses for the fourth quarter and expects to leverage expenses for fiscal year 2011.
- Walmart ended the year with strong free cash flow(1) of $14.1 billion, an increase over last year of almost 21 percent.
- The company has returned $11.5 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchase this fiscal year, a level of return that is 58 percent higher than last year.
- Walmart posted a pre-tax return on investment(1) (ROI) of 19.3 percent for fiscal year 2010, equal to last fiscal year's ROI.
--(1) See additional information at the end of the release regarding non-GAAP financial measures.

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Feb 18, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) today reported financial results for the quarter and year ended Jan. 31, 2010. Net sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010 were $112.8 billion, an increase of 4.6 percent from $107.9 billion in the fourth quarter last year. Net sales for the fourth quarter included a currency exchange rate benefit of $1.9 billion. Income from continuing operations attributable to Walmart for the quarter was $4.7 billion, an increase of almost 24 percent from $3.8 billion in the fourth quarter last year.

Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations attributable to Walmart ("EPS") for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010 were $1.23. This compares to EPS of $0.96 in the fourth quarter last year. Adjusted earnings from continuing operations attributable to Walmart for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010 were $4.5 billion, or $1.17 per share, after adjusting for the following items:


$372 million, or $0.10 per share, in net tax benefits primarily from the repatriation of certain non-U.S. earnings that increased U.S. foreign tax credits; and
$260 million charge ($162 million net of tax), or $0.04 per share, from several business restructurings.

By comparison, adjusted earnings from continuing operations attributable to Walmart for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 were $4.0 billion, or $1.03 per share, after adjusting for the $382 million charge ($255 million net of tax), or $0.07 per share, due to the settlement of 63 wage-and-hour class action lawsuits.

Net sales for the fiscal year were $405.0 billion, an increase of 1.0 percent over fiscal year 2009. On a constant currency basis, net sales for the fiscal year would have been $9.8 billion higher, increasing 3.4 percent to approximately $414.8 billion. Income from continuing operations attributable to Walmart increased to $14.4 billion from $13.3 billion in fiscal year 2009, an increase of 8.8 percent.

For fiscal year 2010, adjusted earnings from continuing operations attributable to Walmart were $14.2 billion, or $3.66 per share, versus $13.5 billion or $3.42 per share in the prior year, an increase of 7.0 percent per share.

Adjusted EPS for both the fourth quarter and the full year were also above the company's most recent guidance of $1.08 to $1.12 and $3.57 to $3.61 respectively, as well as above First Call consensus.

Three Strategic Priorities - Growth, Leverage and Returns

"Walmart's exceptional earnings for the fourth quarter and the full year exceeded our expectations," said Mike Duke, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. president and chief executive officer. "These results reflect the ongoing underlying strength of our business and our strategies to improve shareholder value through our priorities - delivering growth, leveraging expenses and improving returns.

"We successfully shifted the productivity loop into higher gear. The diligent way we managed our businesses and tight control of our costs resulted in the company leveraging operating expenses for the fourth quarter," Duke explained. "We plan to grow expenses slower than the rate of sales in the new fiscal year.

"The company added more than 34 million net square feet of selling space this year, with International contributing more than half of that growth," said Duke. "We expect continued strong growth from International this fiscal year. U.S. sales will be more challenging in the first quarter, as Walmart U.S. cycles through strong year-over-year comparisons and deflation. We remain focused on growing top line sales, and expect improvement in the United States as the year progresses."

Walmart continues to generate strong free cash flow, reporting a record $14.1 billion in fiscal year 2010. This is an increase of almost 21 percent over the $11.6 billion reported in the prior year. Duke also noted that the company continued to deliver consistency in pre-tax returns, ending fiscal year 2010 with return on investment (ROI) of 19.3 percent, equal to last year.

Net Sales

Net sales were as follows (dollars in billions):

Three Months Ended Years Ended
January 31, January 31,
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Percent Percent
2010 2009 Change 2010 2009 Change
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Net Sales:
Walmart U.S. $70.969 $71.293 -0.5% $258.229 $255.348 1.1%
International 29.572 24.751 19.5% 100.107 98.840 1.3%
Sam's Club 12.285 11.836 3.8% 46.710 46.899 -0.4%
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Total
Company $112.826 $107.880 4.6% $405.046 $401.087 1.0%

Fourth quarter International net sales were $29.6 billion, an increase of 19.5 percent from last year. The increase in International net sales includes our Chilean operations (acquired in January 2009) and a $1.9 billion positive impact from currency exchange rate fluctuations. On a constant currency basis, International net sales were up 11.9 percent to $27.7 billion from last year's fourth quarter results of $24.8 billion.

Full year International net sales were $100.1 billion, an increase of 1.3 percent from last year. The increase in International net sales includes our Chilean operations and was reduced by the $9.8 billion impact from currency exchange rate fluctuations. On a constant currency basis, International net sales increased 11.2 percent to $109.9 billion in fiscal year 2010, compared to $98.8 billion in fiscal year 2009.

Earnings Guidance

The company expects diluted earnings per share from continuing operations attributable to Walmart for fiscal year 2011 to be between $3.90 and $4.00. For the first quarter of this fiscal year, the company forecasts earnings per share from continuing operations attributable to Walmart to range from $0.81 to $0.85. Earnings guidance assumes that currency exchange rates will remain where they are today.

"We are confident in our strategies to grow our business around the world and deliver great returns for our shareholders," said Tom Schoewe, executive vice president and chief financial officer. "Walmart remains a very strong company financially, with record free cash flow for the second year in a row.

"Walmart doubled its share repurchase activity during the fiscal year just completed versus last fiscal year," Schoewe said. "Through our share repurchase and dividends, we returned $11.5 billion to shareholders during fiscal 2010, a level of return that is 58 percent higher than last year. We remain committed to share repurchase."