Street View: Walmart to evolve beyond 'brick and mortar' on automation, ad boost

Vizio Holding

21/02/2024 10:55

** Walmart  WMT.N  kicked off U.S. retailers' reporting
season on Tuesday with robust fourth quarter results after
inflation-squeezed shoppers flocked to its stores, and said it
would buy smart-TV maker Vizio  VZIO.N  for $2.3 bln

    AI INVESTMENTS TO HELP GAINS
    ** Piper Sandler ("overweight," PT: $228) expects the
proposed Vizio acquisition to help co boost advertising revenue
        ** "WMT is using both value (strong price gaps) and
convenience (ship from store) to take market share" - Piper
Sandler
  
    ** Roth MKM ("buy," PT: $206) says increased advertising
opportunities and cost savings due to automation puts co "in a
unique position to attack market share and grow consumers for
its ecosystem"
    ** "Walmart is much more than the brick & mortar story of
yesteryear" - Brokerage
    ** Jefferies ("buy," PT: $210) expects WMT's sales outlook
and healthy fundamentals to drive profit supported by co's
investment in automation and artificial intelligence (AI)
    ** Telsey Advisory Group ("outperform," PT: $205) says co to
gain market share and drive profits through expansion into
advertising and merchant services

 (Reporting by Kanchana Chakravarty in Bengaluru)
 ((Kanchana.Chakravarty@thomsonreuters.com))