UPDATE: Morgan Stanley Reiterates On Wal-Mart Stores As Gross Margin Pressure Is Less than Feared

In a report published Thursday, Morgan Stanley analyst Simeon Gutman reiterated an Overweight rating on

, but removed the $87.00 price target. In the report, Morgan Stanley noted, “Relative to market expectations, a key takeaway from yesterday's meeting with WMT management is that gross margin pressure should be no worse than Q1. Though the top-line backdrop has not improved (it has not gotten worse either), steady gross margins and ongoing expense control should enable the achievement of near term estimates.” Wal-Mart Stores closed on Wednesday at $75.62.