Walmart Crashes 9% as U.S. Sales Growth Hits Six-Year Low

Walmart Inc. shares plummeted 9% on Thursday after the retailer reported its slowest U.S. comparable sales growth in six years, despite exceeding Wall Street's earnings expectations for the second quarter . The stock closed at $103.84, erasing roughly $81 billion from its market valuation, as investors focused on a 2.6% rise in U.S. comparable sales—the weakest since 2020 and below the 3.7% consensus forecast . Executives attributed the miss to lower prescription drug prices from federal Medicare negotiations, which created a roughly 80-basis-point headwind . Excluding health and wellness, core comparable sales grew 3.4% . The company's outlook for the third quarter also disappointed, with net sales growth forecast at 3% to 3.75%, lagging analyst estimates of 4.9% . Walmart raised its full-year earnings guidance to between $2.80 and $2.87 per share, roughly in line with or slightly below consensus of $2.90 . The retailer also confirmed it has received substantially all of a $2.9 billion tariff refund, which it plans to reinvest in price reductions, as customers face pressure from higher fuel costs .