Walmart reverses course to rise after maintaining annual forecast

Shares of retail bellwether Walmart WMT.N reverse course from premarket losses to rise 3% in morning trade

WMT reaffirms annual forecast and Q1 sales outlook, and says it aims to keep prices low even as President Donald Trump's tariffs fan fears of a recession

Retailer adds during its investor meeting on Wednesday that there was nothing in the current environment that changed its strategy

Still, WMT says "range of outcomes" for Q1 operating income growth has widened due to less favorable category mix, higher casualty claims expense, and the desire to maintain flexibility to invest in price as tariffs are implemented

In February, WMT had targeted Q1 adjusted operating income rise in 0.5%-2% range, while it forecast Q1 sales to grow 3-4%

Co maintains fiscal 2026 forecasts for sales to rise between 3% and 4% and adjusted operating income to rise 3.5% to 5.5%

Walmart's shares are down about 9.5% so far this year