The retail giant Walmart (WMT.US) delivered a stellar performance in its fourth quarter, exceeding expectations with robust earnings. The company also announced an increased annual dividend and a $2.3 billion acquisition of Vizio (VZIO.US), a smart-TV manufacturer, further bolstering its position in advertising and media business to compete with Amazon Prime. This impressive news propelled Walmart’s shares to record highs. 

For the quarter ending in January, Walmart reported adjusted earnings increase of 5.3% year-over-year at $1.80 per share, surpassing analysts’ anticipation of $1.65 per share. 

Walmart’s group revenue soared 5.7% from the previous year to $173.4 billion, again outdoing market expectations of $170.71 billion. The company’s domestic same-store sales saw a growth of 4%, surpassing analysts’ forecast of a 3.2% increase. 

Looking ahead, Walmart anticipates earnings between $6.70 to $7.12 per share for the upcoming financial year, alongside a projected rise in net sales by 3% to 4%. 

Walmart unveiled plans to conduct its first stock split in over two decades at the end of January. After the market’s closure on February 23, the retail giant will split each existing share into three new shares. The new shares resulting from the split will retain the original stock symbol “WMT” and commence trading on February 26. 

In addition to the stock split, Walmart announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to 20.75 cents per share after the split. This represents a substantial increase of more than 9.2% from the previous split-adjusted dividend of 19 cents, further enhancing shareholder returns. 

(Walmart Stock Performance One-year Chart) 

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