Paper Sample on Walmart: Low Prices, Diverse Products, Serving 265M Customers

Introduction

Walmart Inc. is a company dealing with retail and wholesale business. The business operates its business by offering low prices for its merchandise. The low prices offered for its merchandise allow the business to sell more. Currently, the company serves an average of 265 million customers throughout its 11,500 stores countrywide. The organization also operates e-commerce websites. Walmart is in the retail industry. The key products offered by Walmart are diverse and include the sale of physical goods and services. Walmart acts as an intermediary between producers and consumers selling merchandise goods at affordable prices.

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The Current Number of Employees vs One Year Ago

The current number of US employees at Walmart is 1,500,000 as of 1 June 2020. The number of employees is a zero percent decline from 2019 ("The COVID-19 Corporate Response Tracker: How America's Largest Employers Are Treating Stakeholders Amid the Coronavirus Crisis — JUST Capital", 2020).

Current Financials

Market Cap: 2/1/2020 vs 6/15/2020

The market cap is the total dollar market value of Walmart of its current outstanding shares of stock. Walmart's market cap as of 2/1/2020 was at 330.7 billion, while the market cap as of 6/15/2020 was at 334.4 billion. Market capitalization determines the business' value based on its stock price after multiplying it with outstanding shares. The significance of the market cap is that it describes an estimate of Walmart's size and its changes over time. The comparison of Walmart's market cap between January 2020 and June 2020 indicates that the size of the company has increased. Walmart's market cap is more than $10 billion; therefore, it can be categorized as a large-cap.

Stock Price 2/1/2020 vs 6/15/2020

Walmart's stock price as of 2/1/2020 was at 118.86 compared to 118.40 as of 6/15/2020. A comparison of Walmart's stocks between the two periods shows that the company is not experiencing much change in its stock prices. Walmart is still experiencing positivity in its earnings based on the two reported days.

My Opinion

Walmart's Prediction for The Next Six Months

I predict Walmart's improvement in its stock price. Based on the available data on Walmart's stock prices from January 2020 to June 2020, the company has not faced a decline. According to money.cnn.com, the median stock price for the past six months is at 133.38. The year to date stock price represents an improvement of 0.39%. The improvement in stock prices for the past six months despite the COVID-19 impact to me is an indicator that Walmart's performance for the next six months will be constant or improved. The COVID-19 pandemic will play a critical part in determining the growth position of Walmart in the next six months. The current measures put in place by the government to control COVID-19 is encouraging investors to continue investing in Walmart's stocks. The investors' ability to put their money in Walmart will assist the company to continue its operations. The earnings reports as at June 2020 was positive therefore playing a critical role on the company's future.

Why is This Important

Predicting Walmart's direction for the next six months has its significance. The current COVID-19 pandemic was a surprise to all business, and Walmart needs a financial forecast to determine if the measures established will be sustainable moving forward. The prediction given is supposed to act as a benchmark for investors during this pandemic period. The pandemic changed the cash flow inflow for Walmart, therefore, reducing confidence among the stakeholders regarding its performance during the pandemic period. It is, consequently, significant to develop prediction so that the management team at Walmart can develop plans and strategies that resonate with the COVID-19 period. There is a need to have realistic and feasible goals during this period hence the requirement for financial projections.

The COVID-19 changed the business operations at Walmart, implying that the set goals that were set before the pandemic period also changed. I believe the financial forecast will help the management in decisions making amidst policies and practices in response to COVID-19. The accuracy and correctness of critical decisions at Walmart will be regularly in the coming six months because we are uncertain about the country's economy. The accurate financial forecast will ensure that the business at Walmart keeps going ahead in an unpredictable future.

Policies and Changes in response to COVID-19

Walmart adjusted hours of operations to fit in all stakeholders working conditions. Adjusting the hours of operations made it possible for Walmart's employees to work under conducive environments reducing the chances of infection. The changes in operations time also made it possible for ample time to sanitize stores. Walmart suspended some services after it assessed risk levels of risk infections on the part of the company employees and customers. The company continued to pay their employees even during its closure and service suspensions. The business continued to offer community services through their participation in offering help with food banks, outreach services, and various contributions.

Walmart management worked towards ensuring accommodations of their customers by ensuring that their services and products through activities such as replacement of in-store shopping with home deliveries. The company offers accommodations to customers who are deemed vulnerable and with special needs. The store reserved their first hours to patients with a high risk of getting infections. Financial assistance is paramount during this period, and Walmart offered a bonus to its employees. The company offered a maximum of $300 as a bonus to their employees. The employees who were on the frontline working during this pandemic period were offered an increment on their hourly wages. Health and safety are paramount during this pandemic period; that is why Walmart took steps to implement additional health and safety precautions to help their workers and customers in all their supply chains. All employees were given personal protective gear.

Walmart announced new hiring offering an opportunity for individuals to raise funds to help boost their earnings during the pandemic period. There were 200,000 new hires during the pandemic period ("Walmart Hires 200,000 Associates and Pays $180 Million in Early Associate Bonuses", 2020). The new hires are temporary since the jobs were created to cover up for temporary COVID-19 demands to help in providing services to employees. The company also changed its policies on paid sick leave to cover up for employees who did not have paid sick leave before the breakout of COVID-19.

Opinion on Walmart's Policies and Changes in Response to COVID-19

Walmart's response to COVID-19 is so far in the right direction and sufficient to help in generating positive results amidst the pandemic. During the start of the epidemic, most customers changed their shopping behaviors. The responses set out by the company, as discussed above, encouraged the retailer's resilience to continue serving its customers. The changes made ensure that it gave support to their staff, who were tasked with ensuring that customers are supplied with grocery items. Walmart will be remembered in the long term as an entity that upheld ethical standards by establishing excellent working conditions for its employees. The changes made by Walmart were effective and led to positive outcomes because it helps in ensuring that the e-commerce activity remains operational. The launch of Express Delivery by the firm was the right decision that helps to ensure customers receive their orders to their doorsteps now that they cannot be allowed to do frequent in-store shopping.

Financial Stabilization in Future

According to Walmart's CEO, Doug McMillon, the in-store shopping dropped, but the pandemic has come with a positive effect on the delivery section of the business. The number of customers who ordered for delivery of products to their doorstep increased with a high number of returning clients. The best strategy that Walmart can use now is to focus on financing the delivery services. The significant number of Walmart's stores helped in driving the e-commerce business. The sales of US e-commerce products went up by 74%, an indicator that Walmart should focus on increasing investment in e-commerce to cushion against the COVID-19 outcome ("WMT - Walmart Inc Forecast - CNNMoney.com", 2020). The online grocery gave Walmart a competitive advantage against its competitors. Walmart's financial stabilization is going to be achieved if the business put the focus on ensuring that their pick-up network is strengthened. Walmart should aggressively lean towards e-commerce business and sell off its merchandise online through third-party marketplaces.

Walmart’s Prediction in Five Years

Walmart’s business in the coming five years is likely to remain the same. The COVID-19 future is still not known, therefore making it difficult to conclude that the future of Walmart’s in five years will have improved or declined. Based on the status of Walmart’s business, we can predict that the business will maintain its status. The reason for Walmart’s business remaining constant is that currently, there are not going to be new investments apart from the delivery services. The current price of Walmart stock as ta 2020 July 3, 2020, is at $119.780, with its market cap experiencing an upward trend ("WALMART INC : Financial Data Forecasts Estimates and Expectations | WMT | MarketScreener", 2020). The e-commerce segment of Walmart has been popular during the COVID-19 period, and that could be the reason why Walmart maintained its popularity in the retail industry. The COVID-19 will most likely be around in the next five years; that is why Walmart’s business will still be depending on the e-commerce segment to make profits. If the COVD-19 is still around, then the in stores shopping might not bring benefits to Walmart but instead help in shifting focus towards e-commerce and online marketplace.

Conclusion

The uncertainties in business since the start of COVID-19 prompted Walmart to develop responses geared towards ensuring both employees and customers are cushioned from the challenges during the pandemic period. The societies all over the world are now shifting their mindset on how to handle the lockdown and social distancing measures. COVID-19 changed the consumer behaviors of most customers. Walmart's business was not left behind in the creation of responses that ensured continued operations. The coronavirus breakout can be said to have accelerated the e-commerce segment of Walmart. Walmart's business is likely to remain constant in the coming six months if a solution for COVID-19 is not found. Walmart's business will remain relevant in the future if it re-evaluates its re-commerce. The re-commerce will force Walmart to take into consideration of various factors affecting consumers during the COVID-19 period.

References

The COVID-19 Corporate Response Tracker: How America's Largest Employers Are Treating Stakeholders Amid the Coronavirus Crisis — JUST Capital. JUST Capital. (2020). Retrieved 2 July 2020, from https://justcapital.com/reports/the-covid-19-corporate-response-tracker-how-americas-largest-employers-are-treating-stakeholders-amid-the-coronavirus-crisis/.

Walmart Hires 200,000 Associates and Pays $180 Million in Early Associate Bonuses. Corporate - US. (2020). Retrieved 3 July 2020, from https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2020/04/30/walmart-hires-200-000-associates-and-pays-180-million-in-early-associate-bonuses.

WALMART INC.: Financial Data Forecasts Estimates and Expectations | WMT | MarketScreener.