Corporate Finance: Wal-Mart
Contents
Corporate Finance: Wal-Mart 1
1. Introduction 2
2. Success at Delivering Value to the Shareholders in the Last 5 Years 2
2.1 Growth in Earnings 2
2.2 Growth in Dividend Declared 3
3. Valuation of Equity 4
3.1 Net Asset Value (NAV) 5
3.2 Price / Earnings Ratio 5
3.3 Discounted Free Cash Flow 7
4. Reconciliation of Differences 8
4.1 Benefits and Costs of Using Net Assets Value 9
4.2 Benefits and Costs of Using Price Earnings Ratio 9
4.3 Benefits and Costs of Using Discounted Free Cash Flow 9
5. Conclusion 9
1. Introduction
The organization that I have chosen for the purpose of this corporate finance analysis is Wal-Mart. As is well known, Wal-Mart is the global market leader of the global retail industry and has been in operation for more than 100 years. The organization is listed primarily on the New York Stock Exchange where it has the market capitalization of 250.55 billion dollars and average trading volume of 6,075,000 shares (Yahoo Finance, 2013).
There is no doubt about the fact that the brand name of Wal-Mart both in the consumer market and among the corporates is extremely significant. The speculations on this name of Wal-Mart are high and inflated. The question however is whether the organization has actually been able to deliver value to the stakeholders of the organization in the last five years or not. This is precisely what this report will be doing. Through this, the success of Wal-Mart at delivering value to the shareholders, the valuation of the equity of the organization through different methods and finally the evaluation of the different methods will be done. For this purpose, the time period taken into consideration is the five years from 2008 to 2...
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The benefit of using the discounted cash flow method is that it focuses on the present value of the cash flows however the estimates of the cash flows can be different from the actual reality in the future and therefore the overall valuation may not be that reliable.
5. Conclusion
Conclusively, from the valuation and financial analysis of Wal-Mart, it has been seen that the organization is performing well and has been able to deliver good value to its shareholders.
References
1. Lomax, A. (2010). Has Wal-Mart Hit the Wall?, Available at http://www.fool.com/investing/value/2010/02/18/has-wal-mart-hit-the-wall.aspx#.UrabyvRHLkt
2. Olivier et al. (2000). Principles of Finance Management, 1st Ed. SA: Juta and Co.
4. Rappaport, A. (2006). Ten Ways to Create Shareholder Value, HBR.
5. Yahoo Finance. (2012). Wal-Mart Stock Price History, Yahoo Finance.
There is a lot that goes into being a successful company, and making the Fortune 500 list is most every business owner’s dream. Sam Walton is credited with being the founder and first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Wal-Mart. Walton and other CEO’s of the company were able to shape the success of Wal-Mart by implementing strategies that would revolutionize the way retail stores do business, all while pushing Wal-Mart to the top spot on the Fortune 500 list. This paper looks at a few different strategies Walton implemented that ultimately benefitted the company to increase revenue. How did Wal-Mart become the retail giant that it is today? T.A. Frank of Washington Monthly gives a brief history of Wal-Mart in his article Everyday Low Vices.
Corporations keep various types of financial records and it is the responsibility of managers to make sure that the records are maintained and resolved at the end of the fiscal year. Most company has shareholders that want a year-end account on how the company has done and with a projection of what the company is capable of doing in the future. The shareholders have a vested interest and want to be kept informed on how the company is doing financially. Financial records for major corporations are public knowledge and this paper is comparing Target and Wal-Mart and their financial standings.
Analyzing Wal-Mart's annual report provides a positive outlook on Wal-Mart's financial health. Given the specific ratios and its comparison to other companies in the same industry, Wal-Mart is leading and more than likely continue its dominance. Though Wal-Mart did not lead in all numbers, its leadership and strong presence of the market cements the ongoing success. The review of the current ratio, quick ratio, inventory turnover ratio, debt ratio, net profit margin ratio, ROI, ROE, and P/E ratio all indicate an upbeat future for the company. The current ratio, which is defined as current assets divided by current liabilities, is a measure of how much liabilities a company has compared to its assets. Wal-Mart in the year of 2007 had a current ratio of .90, and as of January 2008 it had a current ratio of .81. The quick ratio, which is defined as current assets minus inventory divided by current liabilities, is a measure of a company's ability pay short term obligations. Wal-Mart in the year of 2007 had a quick ratio of .25, and as of January 2008 it had a ratio of .21. Both the current ratio and quick ratio are a measure of liquidity. Wal-Mart is not as liquid as its competitors such as Costco or Family Dollar Stores Inc. I believe the reason why Wal-Mart is not too liquid is because they are heavily investing their profits for expansion and growth. Management claims in their financial report that holding their liquid reserves in other currencies have helped Wal-Mart hedge against inflationary pressures of the US dollar. The next ratio to look at is the inventory ratio which is defined as the cost of sales divided by average inventory. In the year of 2007, Wal-Mart’s inventory ratio was 7.68, and as of January 2008 it was 7.96. Wal-Mart has a lot of sales therefore it doesn’t have too much a problem of holding too much inventory. Its competitors have similar ratios though they don’t have as much sales as Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart’s ability to sell at lower prices for same quality, gives them the edge against its competition. As of the year 2007, Wal-Mart had a debt ratio of .58, and as of January 2008, it had a debt ratio of .59. The debt ratio is calculated by dividing the total debt by its total assets. Wal-Mart has a lot more assets than it does debt so Wal-Mart is not overleveraged.
I chose to prepare a SWOT analysis on Wal-Mart. On July 2, 1962 Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart store in Rogers, Arkansas. Wal-Mart employs a detailed system of data technology that supports its local as well as international operations. Through this system, it is possible to supervise the achievement of its stores, on a real time basis. It also supports Wal-Mart’s economical procurement. Wal-Mart also uses the most up to date technologies available to maintain and manage its local and global logistics operations, by coordinating technology into its core operations. Wal-Mart is able to conquer the tough competition as well as accommodating its large market productively. Wal-Mart is the second largest retail company in the world. It is a billion dollar company with loyal customers and competitive prices that are lower than other competitors. The company receives a great discount from their supplier due to ordering products in bulk. Wal-Mart has an extensive customer
This report discusses the evaluation of Wal-Mart’s strategic planning process. The purpose of this evaluation is to compare and analyze the performance to help better measure our operation and financial conditions as well as enable us to accomplish our future objectives and to continue growth.
Our decision is to invest in Wal-Mart. The choice for Wal-Mart is on the basis that their functional-level strategy is really robust, nevertheless of the fact that they do not treat their employees well. The fact remains that they are financially stronger, have a better business-level strategy, and have a corporate-level strategy than Costco. Costco v. Wal-Mart: What must we learn about them? Let start with Costco. Costco is Wholesale, Retail Corporation which operates an international chain of membership distribution centers that provides quality, brand name merchandise at noticeably more affordable rates than a conventional wholesale or retail sources. Costco 's warehouses display the largest and great product categories such as groceries, candy, appliances, television and media, automotive supplies, tires, toys, hardware, sporting goods, jewelry, watches, cameras, books, house wares, apparel, health and beauty aids, tobacco, furniture, office supplies and office
Since January 31, 2004, the investment banker for Wal-Mart has been Moody's investor services. Wal-Mart plans to refinance for their long term dept with Mood's Investor Services and also a few other investment banking for other corporate purposes that are not mentioned. Wal-Mart also plans to bowwow 3.3 billion dollars and an additional 1.1 billion for commercial paper By January 31, 2004 the, Wal-Mart had already established a 5.1 billion dollar lines of credits from 77 different banking industries and investment and used up approximately 145 million in the production of commercial paper. During the same time period Wal-Mart had 6 billion dollar debt of securities under a shelf registration regulation which derived from the SEC. Wal-Mart sold 1.25 billion in notes and maturity. The notes bear an interest of 4.1.25 % and mature by February 2011. The total quantity of notes allowed to be sold to is up to 4 billion.
Team B's assignment this week was to select two different publicly traded companies in the same industry. The two companies will serve as the basis for subsequent team assignments. The two companies chosen for study are Wal-Mart and Target. This paper will provide an overview of each of the selected companies.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is in the discount, variety stores industry. It was founded in 1945, Bentonville in Arkansas which is also the headquarters of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart operates locally as well as worldwide. It operated 1209 discount stores, 1980 super centers, and 567 Sam’s Club by January 31, 2006. It has also extended its operations to many international countries. It runs its retail stores in two forms: Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart Stores. The Sam’s Club sells assorted product lines such as hardwares, electronics, jewelry, and to mention a few. The Wal-Mart stores also offer similar products in addition to the following: health and beauty products, apparel for women, men and children, household appliances etc (www.yahoo.finance.com). The Vision Statement, Mission Statement, Values and Code of Conduct, Corporate Governance: Directors, Executive Management, Committees and Stakeholder will be the key elements that will discussed in this report as it relates to Wal-Mart. In addition to that, the major trends in the general/macro environment and industry will be analyzed.
With the shareholders, whose focus is to see profit, Wal-Mart ranks number one, 2008 per Fortune 500 magazine and listed as the 13th most profitable company with $11.3 billion dollars in earnings for 2006. Shareholders equity is over $64 million dollars. 1 (Fortune 500, 2008, CNNMoney.com)
Today Wal-Mart servers around 130 Million people world wide and it has employees over 1.3 million people across the globe. They have been increase in growth of sales over 11% which amounted $6.4 billion US dollars. The earnings of the Wal-Mart are far ahead of its French competitors Carrefour although it is having its branches in 32 countries it earning and saving far behind. With wide range of suppliers the Wal-Mart has it has been one of the successful retail chains in the world today.
The first Wal-Mart was opened in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962. By 1969 it was incorporated into Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and in 1972 went public on the New York Stock Exchange. The company grew steadily across the United States, and by 1990 was the nation's largest retailer. In 1991 and 1994, Wal-Mart moved into Mexico and Canada respectively. By 1997 it was incorporated into the Dow Jones Industrial Average. As of 2005, Wal-Mart has stores in the United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico, and brings in revenue of close to 300 billion dollars a year. In 2006, Wal-Mart invaded the China and India's markets. During the last two decades, Wal-Mart has been able to take advantage of the rise of information technology and the explosion of the global economy to change the balance of power in the business world (Wikipedia, 2006). Today Wal-Mart continues to grow and their success is not only from their sound strategic management planning but also from its implementation of those strategic plans. In other words operational planning has been an important key to their success.
The gross profit during the year 2015 was actually a $10 billion increase from their fiscal year 2014 (University of San Francisco, 2015). Over the past six years, Walmart continues to generate these types of numbers, representing increases in growth, time and time again. The company’s income was generated by more than 4,500 stores in the United States alone which is supported by a supply chain that moved from number 14 to number 13 on research and analyst company Gartner’s annual ranking (University of San Francisco, 2015). Many business professionals have analyzed and interpreted Walmart’s supply chain management approaches, making it apparent which elements of their strategy have proven effective. These major supply chain components that have shaped Walmart’s success over recent years are their buyer bargaining power (one of Porter’s Five Forces), focus on the overall customer experience, and investments in emerging technologies along with the implementation of these technologies in their business
When Sam Walton died in 1992, some industry insiders doubted that the Wal – Mart chain that he had founded some 30 years earlier would retain its prominence as a discount retailer. Lost for good they feared, would be the “magic spark” that Walton used to light fires under the chain’s 1.3 million associates. And, as Wal – Mart stock failed to enjoy the same bull – market growth as many other companies in the mid – 1990s, the pundits appeared to be correct. Today, however, with stores in all 50 U.S. states and nine other countries, Wal – mart has rebounded, leading the pack of discount stores with record earnings. In fact, with $218 billion in annual sales and 100 million customers per week, Wal – Mart is the world’s largest retailer and was named “Retailer of the Century” by Discount Store News.
...because it will affect shareholders interests if company not doing well their business. This paper discussed the reasons why Wal-Mart doesn’t doing well in global market. The main reason that Wal-Mart faced currently is internal and external problems. The internal problems included management and employees’ conflicts, while the external problems are suppliers and environment conflicts. These conflicts may cause Wal-Mart loss shareholders’ confidence to invest in their company and company’s share price also will affect. It will cause Wal-Mart difficulty to fight with their competitors in global market and spread their business to new market. To avoid these problems arise, Wal-Mart should find some solutions to resolve the conflicts. So that Wal-Mart can maintain a good relationship with their stakeholders and shareholders rather than break their relationship.