Walmart Q3 'Surprise Earnings'... "Tight on Trump Tariffs"

Walmart, the largest U.S. retailer, has outperformed expectations and raised its future earnings outlook as Wall Street is paying close attention to spending trends among U.S. consumers ahead of the year-end shopping season.

Walmart's third-quarter revenue rose 5.5% from a year ago to $169.6 billion, above expert estimates of $167.7 billion, and earnings per share also came in at 58 cents, above expert estimates of 53 cents.

Walmart also raised its forecast for net sales growth this year to 4.8-5.1% from 3.75%-4.75% previously, in anticipation of better-than-expected sales growth in the fourth quarter, which includes the year-end shopping season.

"Customers increased their purchases per store visit, and the share of upper-income households who visited discount stores for more cautious consumption than before increased," it said of third-quarter earnings growth.

Walmart is paying keen attention to which product prices will rise, saying, "If U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pledge to raise tariffs is realized, there is a possibility of price hikes for some items."