Walmart profits, sales rolled in 2024, but this year appears to present some challenges

NEW YORK — Walmart delivered another year of strong sales and profits with its competitive prices an increasingly strong magnet for inflation-weary shoppers, but this year appears to come with new challenges.

The outlook from the nation's largest retailer for 2025 is as much as 27 cents below analyst projections for per-share earnings and for the quarter, Walmart's expectations are as much as 7 cents below Wall Street projections.

Its sales outlook is also disappointing, potentially a reflection of rising challenges ahead as consumers pull back on spending and President Donald Trump's tariffs on China and other countries threaten the low-price model that is the core of Walmart's success.

Shares tumbled 7%.

Walmart is among the first major U.S. retailers to report quarterly financial results and numbers could provide a hint as to the mood of the American shopper, particularly amid new trade barriers that according to most economists threaten to reignite inflation. Consumers over the past year have increasingly focused more on necessities rather than TVs, furniture or appliances. They've become much more discerning about big-ticket purchases because of higher costs for credit as well as for groceries.