Wal-Mart Only Dow Component to Gain So Far in 2016

The first week of 2016 was harsh for the 30 stocks that comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Only one has posted a gain over the first five trading days, and that one is Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT).

Reports on retail sales for the past holiday season have been mixed, with some retailers performing well (for instance, J.C. Penney) and some not so well (Macy’s and Gap leap to mind here). Wal-Mart was the worst-performing DJIA stock in 2015, so in some ways it had nowhere to go but up.

And since October, when the company said it expected that additional investment in its Internet strategy and a pay hike for its 1.4 million U.S. employees would hamper profits for at least the next couple of years, Wal-Mart has essentially had no news.

On Friday the families of three murder victims filed suit against Wal-Mart for selling ammo to a drunk, underage man who gave them to a friend who then shot and killed the three victims.
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According to a report at Fortune, sellers of guns and ammunition were protected from liability by the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. That could have changed:

But last year, in a Wisconsin case, a jury found a Milwaukee gun store liable for selling a gun to a 21-year-old customer even though clerks had serious misgivings that the buyer was illegally buying the gun for someone else.

The gun was later used by an 18-year-old to shoot and critically wound two police officers, who were awarded damages by the jury.

That lawsuit may have helped push Wal-Mart shares down on Friday, but over the first week of 2016, the company’s stock has gained 3.65%. The company’s fourth quarter does not close until the end of January, and Wal-Mart is not scheduled to report earnings until February 18. But there are at least two factors that could have contributed to Wal-Mart’s early share price growth spurt.

First, Wal-Mart has the largest Internet footprint of any traditional retailer, and if there is one thing that is true across the board for the 2015 holiday shopping season, it is that online sales rose significantly. Second, a report at TheStreet noted a technical signal that Wal-Mart shows “signs that a significant bottom is in place” at around $62.50.

Wal-Mart stock closed Friday at $63.54, down 2.29% for the day, in a 52-week range of $56.30 to $90.97. The consensus price target on the stock is $63.54, and the high target is $80.