The kids and the parents of America can relax – President Trump’s tariff tirade has failed to put the frighteners on Halloween and chill Christmas.
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According to a new report, U.S. retail giant Walmart (WMT) has ensured that Halloween costumes and décor, holiday decorations, Barbie dolls, air fryers and Mario Kart characters will be in stock for the big days.
Front-Loaded Supply
Walmart, according to data from Import Genius, has front-loaded its supply chain strategies both before Trump’s tariffs were first imposed and then during the window when the levies were paused.
“The front-loading patterns for the companies over the summer of 2024, ahead of the East Coast Longshoremen strike fears; the first few months of 2025, ahead of Liberation Day tariffs; and the unpausing of Chinese shipments in June, which arrived in July; are visible in the charts,” William George, director of research for ImportGenius said, as reported by CNBC.
Walmart has faced a tariff whammy with the hikes in imports from countries battered by high tariffs such as China, forcing the value retailer to hike prices. Rising inflation and economic uncertainty have also hit both Walmart and other stocks.
Walmart has had to be creative to avoid the worst of the levies given the breadth of its international business. – see above.
Tariff Tips
This has recently included opening new routes for its suppliers out of Vietnam, which has a lower tariff rate than China.
Walmart, alongside other retailers, have also reportedly asked Indian exporters to pause shipments of apparel and textiles until further notice because of sky-high tariffs there.
The impact of tariffs will be keenly followed by investors when Walmart issues its Q2 earnings later this week. Although it has failed to hamper the company’s share price, which is up over 13% in the year-to-date.
Wall Street is expecting WMT to report earnings of $0.72 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 7.46%. Revenues for the period are expected to come in at $175.51 billion, up 3.65% from the prior-year quarter.
Is WMT a Good Stock to Buy Now?
On TipRanks, WMT has a Strong Buy consensus based on 23 Buy ratings. Its highest price target is $130. WMT stock’s consensus price target is $114.52, implying a 12.48% upside.
