Wal-Mart Stock Has Upside Potential; Barron’s (WMT)

Wal-Mart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) has reported earnings of 88 cents per share in its first quarter. The company managed to surpass Street expectations as well as its own guidance. Wal-Mart’s same-store sales decreased 1.4%. Morningstar analyst Joel Bloomer told Barron’s, “Wal-Mart's wide economic moat solidifies its leadership position. While this firm is unlikely to be a home-run investment, we expect the stock to perform relatively well as consumer incomes remain pressured and short-term adverse currency movements lessen, revealing solid performance in the international segment.” The stock has trailed behind the broad market indices but analysts expect it to pick up in the near future. Consensus estimate is that the stock has further 17% upside.