Walmart (WMT)

[winston]

THE NEW MOMENTUM TRADE FOR 2012

A trading idea for you to consider: dividends are sizing up to be this year's "momentum trade."

Over the past few years, we've stressed the importance of dividends and high-quality stocks dozens of times in DailyWealth.

In a world full of risk and fraud, getting paid steady and growing dividends is one of the market's best strategies. You can read a few of our best pieces on the idea here, here, and here.

This idea was heavily "stress tested" in 2011. The broad market went through huge swings… and was crushed during the summer panic. Some of the market's riskier companies fell 25%-50% in just a few months. But most of our favorite dividend payers – like Coke, Intel, and Wal-Mart – held up just fine. Read about this phenomenon right here.

Our guess is that, in 2012, more and more people recognize the safety and income-producing power of basic dividend payers. With interest rates low, the fashionable thing on Wall Street will be for fund managers to say, "I own blue-chip dividend payers."

This will send a flood of new money into these stocks. Corporate managers will see the share prices of divided payers rise… so they will hike payouts. This will create a "momentum" trade in dividends.

You can see how this "momentum trade" has pushed the share price of Wal-Mart from $52 per share to $61 in less than four months.

Source: Daily Wealth

[iam802]

Wal-Mart to take majority stake in China e-commerce firm

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/ ... 3M20120220

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Monday it is taking a controlling stake in Chinese e-commerce firm Yihaodian, as the world's largest retailer seeks new revenue sources to fend off rising competition in the world's fastest-growing major economy.

The move comes two weeks after Wal-Mart announced the appointment of industry veteran Greg Foran as head of its China operations, capping a series of leadership changes at the unit, which has been tainted by food scandals, including a pork mislabeling issue last year that forced it to temporarily shut a dozen stores in central China.

Wal-Mart said in a statement that the fresh investment into Yihaodian will take its stake to around 51 percent and will be subject to government regulatory approval. Wal-Mart did not provide any financial details of the deal and it was not immediately clear how much stake it has now in the China firm.

"E-commerce has been booming for years in China and in many other sectors, and it has only been very recently that it is for supermarket type of goods," said James Roy, senior analyst from Shanghai-based China Market Research Group. "It is a good investment for Wal-Mart as it has a lot of potential."

Wal-Mart announced in May last year it planned to buy a minority stake in Yihaodian, a Chinese website selling consumer items and groceries.

"People who order from Yihaodian tend to be more premium customers and that is a decent direction for the company," Roy said. "It is an interesting move, showing that they are trying something new."

Yihaodian, with 5,400 staff, operates a logistics network in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu. It serves a growing customer base with same-day and next-day delivery of essential daily items at competitive prices.

E-COMMERCE SURGE IN CHINA

With 173 million Chinese people shopping online, China's e-commerce industry is expected to surpass 750 billion yuan ($118 billion) in gross merchandise value in 2011, more than the gross domestic product of Vietnam. It is expected to become the world's largest e-commerce market in 2015, Boston Consulting Group said in a report.

"Our further investment in Yihaodian demonstrates that we are committed to investing in China in a key growth industry and developing all that goes with it: logistics, infrastructure, innovative talent and new technologies...," Neil Ashe, President and CEO of Walmart Global eCommerce, said in the statement.

Heavy spending on logistics, waging price wars, holding steep discount promotions and splurging on massive offline advertising are what it now takes to be an e-commerce player in China and to stay at the forefront of consumers' minds.

"Since Yihaodian already has its own logistics and is very popular in Beijing and Shanghai, the deal is very positive for Wal-Mart," said Yuji Fung, analyst from Oriental Patron Financial Group.

In China, Wal-Mart has faced intense competition on the mainland, where it competes against China's Sun Art and China Resources Enterprise, with local brands such as Yonghui and Shinshiji.

It is also up against French hypermarket chain Carrefour, Britain's Tesco and Germany's Metro AG, which are expanding to inland China as interior cities become more affluent.

When Wal-Mart reports fiscal fourth-quarter results on February 21, analysts on average expect to see the company's best U.S. sales performance in more than two years.

[winston]

"I have always been driven to buck the system, to innovate, to take things beyond where they've been."

-- Sam Walton, Wal-Mart founder

[winston]

"World Dominator" Wal-Mart soars to a fresh all-time high… shares are up 43% over the past 12 months, including dividends.

[behappyalways]

WATCH: Walmart Wants to Be Your Doctor
http://time.com/money/3101168/walmart-w ... ur-doctor/

[winston]

"World Dominator" Wal-Mart jumps to an all-time high.

[winston]

not vested

‘Safe’ Stocks to Buy: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT)

It’s cliche, but even if the market tanks and investors conclude a recession is in the cards, they’ll assume the consumption of consumer goods and low-end products will remain constant. That puts Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) at the top of the list of safe stocks to buy should the market turn sour.

In fact, WMT might be a particularly compelling pick if the summer of 2015 is the harbinger of a correction for the broader market.

Yes, the company just posted disappointing Q1 results, and WMT shares paid the price, falling 4% on Tuesday, bringing the year-to-date loss to 11%. Walmart also has been on the receiving end of plenty of criticisms regarding its slow, uneven turnaround.

The more a pendulum swings, however, the bigger the counter-swing. One small, fear-based nudge could drive investors right back into WMT just as quickly.

Source: Investor Place

[winston]

Shares of retail giant Wal-Mart sink 12% in 2015.

[winston]

Shares of retail giant Wal-Mart drop to a new 52-week low.

[winston]

Walmart (WMT) Stock’s Little-Known Multibillion-Dollar Risk

Wall Street entirely ignored a potentially damning study yesterday. I wouldn't.

By John Divine

Walmart could be skirting SEC and IRS rules by using an intricate web of tax havens to hide $76 billion in overseas assets.

Source: Investor Place

http://investorplace.com/2015/06/walmar ... YQBcdKqqko