Walmart shares fell about 4% in early trading, after the company reported strong sales growth, but said price increases were coming because of trade-policy changes. “The magnitude and speed at which these prices are coming to us is somewhat unprecedented,

Wall Street on Thursday inched higher, helped by gains in defensive sectors such as consumer staples and utilities. Sentiment was under pressure due to a combination of buyer exhaustion and some lackluster economic data.

Stocks turned in a mixed performance on Thursday, extending a winning streak for one major index and ending one for another, as investors digested a handful of noteworthy earnings reports and several key economic indicators.

The blue-chip Dow was up over 150 points in afternoon trade, shaking off a lower open, as a big chunk of losses in shares of retail giant Walmart were erased. Shares of Walmart were down almost 5% in morning action after its earnings beat Wall Street estimates,

The company issued second-quarter guidance with net sales expected to increase 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent, but maintained its full-year guidance of net sales to increase between 3 percent and 4 percent from last year, and for adjusted earnings per share to range from $2.50 to $2.60.

Walmart is set to report results for the first quarter of its 2026 fiscal year on Thursday, with analysts seeing the retail giant as a potential winner from tariff uncertainty.

This would indicate an 8% year-over-year reduction in earnings and a 2% rise in sales as compared to the previous year's figures of 63 cents per share and $161.51

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Walmart's high valuation, low growth, and compressed margins suggest overvaluation. Click here to find out why WMT stock is a Strong Sell.