Walmart (WMT) is a U.S-founded, global retail and wholesale company with discount stores, supercentres and neighbourhood markets. Incorporated in 1969, Walmart offers a wide assortment from groceries and entertainment to sporting goods and crafts.
The company runs its business in three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club retail warehouses. Walmart also provides an online shopping platform that operates in 11 countries, and the company is currently expanding its money transfer operation to 200 countries.
As of 4 April 2018, Walmart had a market capitalisation of around $252.81 billion. The company topped the Fortune Global 500 list of 2017. As of April 2018, the family of Walmart founder Sam Walton owned almost half of the company. Jim Walton, his youngest living son, was ranked the no.1 owner of direct shares, with a total of 10.5 million.
Doug McMillon has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Walmart since 2015. He first started working for the company as long ago as 1984, when he was an hourly summer associate in a Walmart distribution centre. Other key figures at the company include Greg Foran (President and CEO, Walmart U.S.); Judith McKenna (President and CEO, Walmart International); and John Furner (President and CEO, Sam’s Club).
Walmart was founded by Sam Walton in 1962, incorporated in 1969, and made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. By 1988 it was the most profitable retailer in the United States, and the following year it was the largest in revenue terms. Overseas investments – for example the 1999 acquisition of Asda in the U.K. – transformed Walmart into an international retailer. However, it was not always successful outside North America, and its ventures in both Germany and South Korea failed.
In 2016 Walmart launched a plan to become the most trusted retailer through hitting specific targets by 2025. These are focused on sustainability, empowering its employees and improving the lives of people around the world.
In 2018 the company changed its legal name from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. to Walmart Inc.
In its full year 2018 results, Walmart reported total revenue of $500.3 billion, an increase of 3.0% on the previous year.Consolidated operating income was $20.4 billion, a decline of 10.2%. The company generated $28.3 billion in operating cash flow and returned $14.4 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.
Since 2000 the Walmart share price has generally hovered somewhere between $50 and $100. Until 2012 the shares traded at the lower end of that scale; thereafter usually at the higher end. In January 2018 the shares finally passed the $100 mark, though only briefly. To find out how the shares are doing right now, follow Capital.com. Our WMT chart puts all the information at your fingertips.
Walmart is headquartered in Betonville in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The company serves around 260 million customers in over 11,700 stores across 28 countries of the world.It operates under the name Walmart in the U.S. and Canada; as Walmart de México y Centroamérica in Mexico and Central America; and as Asda in the U.K. In Japan it’s called the Seiyu Group, and in India the name is Best Price.
Walmart has been traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) since 1972. Check out Capital.com for the latest WMT chart. We’ll keep you up to date and in the picture.
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