NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 12, 2018 / Shares of retailer Big Lots saw a huge loss on Friday after the company reported fourth quarter earnings which missed on revenues. Despite announcing an increased quarterly dividend, traders weren't enthused. Shares of retailer Walmart saw a slight move up despite any significant news, but some employees in Hawaii may be celebrating after receiving bonuses last week that added up to about $2 million.

RDI Initiates Coverage on:

Big Lots, Inc.
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=BIG

Walmart Inc.
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=WMT

Big Lots, Inc. shares saw a big drop on Friday, closing the day down about 10%. The retailer had traded significant trading volume at about 12.5 million compared to an average of just under 1.3 million shares. The big plunge came after the retail chain released its fiscal fourth quarter results that were mixed. For the quarter ended February 3rd, 2018, the company reported adjusted earnings of $2.57 per share. This was a growth of 14% YOY and was ahead of the $2.42 that analysts had been expecting. Net sales also climbed 4% to $1.642 billion. Same store sales saw a loss of 0.1%. Revenue however was expected to be $1.66 billion according to analysts. The company's COO Lisa Bachmann said the quarter was "good." The company also increased its quarterly dividend by 20% to $0.30 a share. Big Lots has also revealed a new $100 million share purchase authorization.

Access RDI's Big Lots, Inc. Research Report at:
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=BIG

Walmart Inc. shares closed up 0.91% this past Friday on about 9.7 million shares traded. The big box retailer's Alliance Walmart store in Ohio will be introducing a personal shopper service this week. Assistant manager of the new online grocery operations, Sandra Friesner, has said that 13 employees have been hired already to do shopping for Walmart patrons who place orders through the mobile app, Walmart grocery or through Walmart.com/grocery. There is no additional charge for the service and patrons are even able to choose household, personal care, pet, health, and office items. Walmart's eCommerce market coach, Susan Vanderlip remarked in June of last year, "Our customers have told us that grocery pickup is a game changer. They are now able to complete their grocery shopping in a matter of minutes ? between errands or on their way ? without ever getting out of the car." Shoppers who place orders for the first time can save $10 off their first order by using a promo code that has yet to be announced. In other news, Hawaiian Walmart employees were cheering last week as it was revealed that associates in Hawaii received bonuses altogether at about $2 million. The bonuses appeared in the employee's March 8 paychecks.

Access RDI's Walmart Inc. Research Report at:
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=WMT

Our Actionable Research on Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) and Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) can be downloaded free of charge at Research Driven Investing.

Research Driven Investing

We are committed to providing relevant and actionable information for the self-directed investor. Our research is reputed for being a leader in trusted, in-depth analysis vital for informed strategic trading decisions. The nimble investor can leverage our analysis and collective expertise to execute a disciplined approach to stock selection.

RDInvesting has not been compensated; directly or indirectly; for producing or publishing this document.

Disclaimer: This article is written by an independent contributor of RDInvesting.com and reviewed by Nadia Noorani, CFA® charter holder. RDInvesting.com is neither a registered broker dealer nor a registered investment advisor. For more information please read our full disclaimer at www.rdinvesting.com/disclaimer.

CONTACT

For any questions, inquiries, or comments reach out to us directly at:

Address:

Research Driven Investing, Unit #901 511 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10011

Email:

contact@rdinvesting.com

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

SOURCE: RDInvesting.com