Wal-Mart at the New York Stock Exchange Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wal-Mart at the New York Stock Exchange - Essay ExampleThe caller is one of the biggest retailers in the world and deals in various products ranging from food items and clothing to electronics and pharmaceuticals. It ope come outs in three business segments Walmart US, Walmart International and surface-to-air missiles club. The company has operations in all states of the US besides 11 other countries including the developing economies like China and India (50). Ernst and Young LLP are Wal-Marts independent auditors. The auditors in their makeup have stated that the internal controls over the financial reporting are satisfactory and as per accounting principles as of January 31, 2011, and that the statements presented in the annual report leave alone the fair financial position of the company as a whole for both the years 2010 and 2011. Industry outlook The retail industry is one of the more or less competitive and unpredictable industries. With the world becoming a global villag e, it has bring into being imperative that organizations in this sector reach out to unexplored geographical locations front than their competitors to take advantage of the new markets. For this, they need to be quick to adapt to the new cultures of these markets. This sector also has competition from technological innovations in communication. Since it has now become easier to get in touch with the customer through the internet, companies need to utilize these facilities to the fullest and at the earliest. Environmental concerns are also the issues which the companies in this sector cannot ignore. Future plans As per the CEO, Duke the company has five-point priorities growth by adding customers..expanding the company sustainability effort (DInnocenzio and Bartels). Expansion within the US remains his top priority as well. The company plans to increase its Sams Club membership by improving the customer experience for its members. They also plan to increase transparency is the pri ce. Wal-Mart is also planning to expand weave presence to more geographical locations. Wal-Mart US is experimenting with new formats and is planning to launch Walmart Express to start with. Walmart international is targeting to increase new space by 23 to 24 million square feet in emerging markets this year. Income Statement analysis The company uses multi-step income statement. The companys gross margin was at 25.26% in 2011 as against 25.4% in 2010. This shows that the gross profit did not show much change as a percentage of sales over the two years. In imperious numbers, the gross profits for 2011 and 2010 (in millions) were $106,562 and $103, 641respectively. Income from operations before income tax (in millions) was $23,538 in 2011 and $22,118 in 2010. The increase in both these incomes is attributable to increased sales due to its refinement into new markets and increase in the number of stores. The company increased its floor space by 3.4% during the financial year 2011 (A nnual Report 17). The favorable exchange rate also helped the sales figure to increase (17). One more reason for this increase is the reduction of the effect of the financial crisis in US markets. Cash draw statement analysis Cash Flow statement shows that the net cash (in millions) provided by the operating activities for 2011, 2010 and 2009 was $23,643, $26,249 and $23,147 respectively.