10-Q: Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
Published on November 29, 2007
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
One)
x Quarterly
Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.
For
the quarterly period ended October 31, 2007.
or
¨ Transition
Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.
For
the transition period from __________ to __________.
Commission
file number 1-6991
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WAL-MART
STORES, INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
|
71-0415188
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
|
702
S.W. 8th Street
Bentonville,
Arkansas
|
72716
|
(Address
of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip
Code)
|
(479)
273-4000
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
Not
applicable
(Former
name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last
report)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the
preceding 12 months (or such shorter periods that the registrant was required
to
file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for
the
past 90 days. Yesx
No¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer (See definition of “accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act). Check One:
Large
Accelerated Filer x Accelerated
Filer ¨ Non-Accelerated
Filer ¨
Indicate
by a check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes¨ Nox
Applicable
Only to Corporate Issuers
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common
stock, as of the latest practical date.
Common
Stock, $.10 Par
Value –
4,004,809,178 shares as of November 23,
2007.
PART I.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item
1. Financial Statements
WAL-MART
STORES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
||||||||||||||||
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
|
||||||||||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||||||||||
(Amounts
in millions except per share data)
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Three
Months Ended
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
||||||||||||||
|
October
31,
|
October
31,
|
||||||||||||||
|
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||||||||
Revenues:
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ |
90,880
|
$ |
83,543
|
$ |
268,257
|
$ |
246,902
|
||||||||
Membership
and other income
|
1,069
|
924
|
3,114
|
2,670
|
||||||||||||
91,949
|
84,467
|
271,371
|
249,572
|
|||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Costs
and expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||
Cost
of sales
|
69,292
|
63,765
|
205,192
|
188,587
|
||||||||||||
Operating,
selling, general and administrative expenses
|
17,685
|
16,237
|
51,064
|
46,920
|
||||||||||||
Operating
income
|
4,972
|
4,465
|
15,115
|
14,065
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest:
|
||||||||||||||||
Debt
|
474
|
434
|
1,326
|
1,188
|
||||||||||||
Capital
leases
|
63
|
55
|
174
|
192
|
||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
(78 | ) | (65 | ) | (243 | ) | (196 | ) | ||||||||
Interest,
net
|
459
|
424
|
1,257
|
1,184
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Income
from continuing operations before income taxes and minority
interest
|
4,513
|
4,041
|
13,858
|
12,881
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
1,557
|
1,363
|
4,765
|
4,388
|
||||||||||||
Income
from continuing operations before minority
interest
|
2,956
|
2,678
|
9,093
|
8,493
|
||||||||||||
Minority
interest
|
(99 | ) | (84 | ) | (305 | ) | (254 | ) | ||||||||
Income
from continuing operations
|
2,857
|
2,594
|
8,788
|
8,239
|
||||||||||||
Income
(loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
-
|
53
|
(153 | ) | (894 | ) | ||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ |
2,857
|
$ |
2,647
|
$ |
8,635
|
$ |
7,345
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
income per common share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Basic
income per common share from continuing operations
|
$ |
0.71
|
$ |
0.62
|
$ |
2.15
|
$ |
1.98
|
||||||||
Basic
income (loss) per common share from discontinued
operations
|
-
|
0.01
|
(0.04 | ) | (0.22 | ) | ||||||||||
Basic
net income per common share
|
$ |
0.71
|
$ |
0.63
|
$ |
2.11
|
$ |
1.76
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Diluted
income per common share from continuing operations
|
$ |
0.70
|
$ |
0.62
|
$ |
2.14
|
$ |
1.97
|
||||||||
Diluted
income (loss) per common share from discontinued
operations
|
-
|
0.01
|
(0.03 | ) | (0.21 | ) | ||||||||||
Diluted
net income per common share
|
$ |
0.70
|
$ |
0.63
|
$ |
2.11
|
$ |
1.76
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Weighted-average
number of common shares:
|
||||||||||||||||
Basic
|
4,051
|
4,169
|
4,092
|
4,168
|
||||||||||||
Diluted
|
4,056
|
4,173
|
4,097
|
4,172
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Dividends
declared per common share
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
0.88
|
$ |
0.67
|
1
WAL-MART
STORES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
||||||||||||
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
|
||||||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||||||
(Amounts
in millions)
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
October
31,
|
October
31,
|
January
31,
|
|||||||||
|
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
|||||||||
ASSETS
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Current
assets:
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ |
4,950
|
$ |
5,908
|
$ |
7,373
|
||||||
Receivables
|
3,070
|
2,477
|
2,840
|
|||||||||
Inventories
|
39,555
|
38,531
|
33,685
|
|||||||||
Prepaid
expenses and other
|
3,337
|
2,707
|
2,690
|
|||||||||
Total
current assets
|
50,912
|
49,623
|
46,588
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Property
and equipment, at cost
|
120,775
|
107,073
|
109,798
|
|||||||||
Less
accumulated depreciation
|
(27,771 | ) | (24,159 | ) | (24,408 | ) | ||||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
93,004
|
82,914
|
85,390
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Property
under capital leases
|
5,690
|
5,421
|
5,392
|
|||||||||
Less
accumulated amortization
|
(2,563 | ) | (2,313 | ) | (2,342 | ) | ||||||
Property
under capital leases, net
|
3,127
|
3,108
|
3,050
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Goodwill
|
14,898
|
13,257
|
13,759
|
|||||||||
Other
assets and deferred charges
|
3,123
|
2,217
|
2,406
|
|||||||||
Total
assets
|
$ |
165,064
|
$ |
151,119
|
$ |
151,193
|
||||||
|
||||||||||||
LIABILITIES
AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
||||||||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
||||||||||||
Commercial
paper
|
$ |
9,126
|
$ |
7,968
|
$ |
2,570
|
||||||
Accounts
payable
|
30,800
|
29,263
|
28,090
|
|||||||||
Dividends
payable
|
896
|
607
|
-
|
|||||||||
Accrued
liabilities
|
14,806
|
14,283
|
14,675
|
|||||||||
Accrued
income taxes
|
-
|
252
|
706
|
|||||||||
Long-term
debt due within one year
|
4,412
|
5,490
|
5,428
|
|||||||||
Obligations
under capital leases due within one year
|
309
|
300
|
285
|
|||||||||
Total
current liabilities
|
60,349
|
58,163
|
51,754
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Long-term
debt
|
30,070
|
24,154
|
27,222
|
|||||||||
Long-term
obligations under capital leases
|
3,520
|
3,622
|
3,513
|
|||||||||
Deferred
income taxes and other
|
5,614
|
4,785
|
4,971
|
|||||||||
Minority
interest
|
2,432
|
1,632
|
2,160
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Commitments
and contingencies
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Shareholders'
equity:
|
||||||||||||
Common
stock and capital in excess of par value
|
3,421
|
3,237
|
3,247
|
|||||||||
Retained
earnings
|
55,519
|
53,738
|
55,818
|
|||||||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income
|
4,139
|
1,788
|
2,508
|
|||||||||
Total
shareholders’ equity
|
63,079
|
58,763
|
61,573
|
|||||||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders’ equity
|
$ |
165,064
|
$ |
151,119
|
$ |
151,193
|
2
WAL-MART
STORES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
||||||||
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||
(Amounts
in millions)
|
||||||||
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
|||||||
|
October
31,
|
|||||||
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
|
|
||||||
Net
income
|
$ |
8,635
|
$ |
7,345
|
||||
Loss
from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
153
|
894
|
||||||
Income
from continuing operations
|
8,788
|
8,239
|
||||||
Adjustments
to reconcile income from continuing operations to net cash provided
by
operating activities:
|
||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
4,656
|
4,013
|
||||||
Other
|
285
|
427
|
||||||
Changes
in certain assets and liabilities, net of effects of
acquisitions:
|
||||||||
Decrease
in accounts receivable
|
31
|
103
|
||||||
Increase
in inventories
|
(5,037 | ) | (6,198 | ) | ||||
Increase
in accounts payable
|
1,450
|
3,501
|
||||||
(Decrease)
increase in accrued liabilities
|
(753 | ) |
25
|
|||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities of continuing
operations
|
9,420
|
10,110
|
||||||
Net
cash used in operating activities of discontinued
operations
|
-
|
(45 | ) | |||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
9,420
|
10,065
|
||||||
|
||||||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||
Payments
for property and equipment
|
(10,896 | ) | (11,417 | ) | ||||
Proceeds
from disposal of property and equipment
|
478
|
262
|
||||||
(Payments
for) proceeds from disposal of certain international operations,
net
|
(257 | ) |
610
|
|||||
Investment
in international operations, net of cash acquired
|
(461 | ) | (68 | ) | ||||
Other
investing activities
|
(87 | ) | (142 | ) | ||||
Net
cash used in investing activities of continuing operations
|
(11,223 | ) | (10,755 | ) | ||||
Net
cash provided by investing activities of discontinued
operations
|
-
|
44
|
||||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(11,223 | ) | (10,711 | ) | ||||
|
||||||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||
Increase
in commercial paper
|
6,481
|
4,200
|
||||||
Proceeds
from issuance of long-term debt
|
7,967
|
3,282
|
||||||
Payment
of long-term debt
|
(6,671 | ) | (4,847 | ) | ||||
Dividends
paid
|
(2,707 | ) | (2,118 | ) | ||||
Purchase
of Company stock
|
(5,279 | ) |
-
|
|||||
Other
financing activities
|
(669 | ) | (424 | ) | ||||
Net
cash (used in) provided by financing activities
|
(878 | ) |
93
|
|||||
|
||||||||
Effect
of exchange rates on cash
|
258
|
47
|
||||||
Net
decrease in cash and cash equivalents
|
(2,423 | ) | (506 | ) | ||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of year (1)
|
7,373
|
6,414
|
||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
$ |
4,950
|
$ |
5,908
|
||||
|
||||||||
(1)
Includes cash and cash equivalents of discontinued operations of
$221
million at January 31, 2006.
|
3
WAL-MART
STORES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE
1. Basis of Presentation
The
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and its
subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of October 31, 2007 and 2006, and the related
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the three and nine months ended
October 31, 2007 and 2006, and Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
for the nine-month periods ended October 31, 2007 and 2006, are unaudited.
The
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of January 31, 2007, is derived from
the
Company’s audited Consolidated Balance Sheet as of that date.
In
the
opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of
the
condensed consolidated financial statements have been included. Such adjustments
are of a normal recurring nature. Interim results are not necessarily indicative
of results for a full year.
The
condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto are presented
in
accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange
Commission and do not contain certain information included in the Company’s
Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007.
Therefore, the interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be
read in conjunction with that Annual Report to Shareholders.
General
Liability and Workers’ Compensation Change in Estimate
Liabilities
associated with general liability and workers’ compensation claims against the
Company are estimated by considering the Company’s historical claims experience,
including frequency and severity of claims, and certain actuarial assumptions.
In estimating our liability for such claims, we periodically analyze our
historical trends, including loss development, and apply appropriate loss
development factors to the incurred costs associated with the
claims. During the last few years, we have enhanced how we manage
claims. As a result, our loss experience with respect to such claims
has improved and the actuarially determined ultimate loss estimates, primarily
for fiscal year 2004 through 2007 claims, were reduced during the quarter ended
July 31, 2007. The reductions in ultimate loss estimates resulted primarily
from
improved claims handling experience, which impacts loss development factors
and
other actuarial assumptions. Due to the beneficial change in estimate
of our ultimate losses, accrued liabilities for general liability and workers’
compensation claims were reduced by $196 million after tax, resulting in an
increase in net income per basic and diluted common share of $0.05 for the
quarter ended July 31, 2007 and the nine months ended October 31,
2007.
NOTE
2. Net Income Per Common Share
Basic
net
income per common share is based on the weighted-average number of outstanding
common shares. Diluted net income per common share is based on the
weighted-average number of outstanding common shares adjusted for the dilutive
effect of outstanding stock options and restricted stock grants. The dilutive
effect of outstanding stock options and restricted stock was 5 million shares
for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2008 and 4 million shares
for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2007, respectively. The
Company had options outstanding of approximately 68 million shares and 62
million shares at October 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively, which were not
included in the diluted net income per common share calculation because their
effect would be antidilutive.
NOTE
3. Inventories
The
Company values inventories at the lower of cost or market as determined
primarily by the retail method of accounting, using the last-in, first-out
(“LIFO”) method for substantially all of the Wal-Mart Stores segment’s
merchandise inventories. The Sam’s Club segment’s merchandise and merchandise in
our distribution warehouses are valued based on the weighted-average cost using
the LIFO method. Inventories of foreign operations are primarily valued by
the
retail method of accounting, using the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method. At
October 31, 2007 and 2006, our inventories valued at LIFO approximated those
inventories had they been valued at FIFO.
NOTE
4. Discontinued Operations
During
fiscal 2007, the Company disposed of its operations in South Korea and Germany,
which had been included in our International segment. Consequently, the net
losses and cash flows related to these operations are presented as discontinued
operations in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and our Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the appropriate periods
presented.
The
Company recorded a pretax gain on the sale of its retail business in South
Korea
of $103 million, and tax expense of $63 million during the third quarter of
fiscal 2007. In determining the gain on the disposition of our South Korean
operations, the Company allocated $206 million of goodwill from the
International reporting unit.
As
previously reported, in July 2006 the Company agreed to dispose of its German
operations to Metro AG (“Metro”), reported the disposal as discontinued
operations and recorded a loss of $863 million during the second quarter ended
July 31, 2006. An additional loss of $55 million on the disposal was
recorded in the third quarter of fiscal 2007 as a result of various closing
adjustments. In addition, the Company recognized a tax benefit of
$126 million related to this transaction in the third quarter of fiscal
2007. The Company recorded a second quarter fiscal 2008 charge of
$153 million to discontinued operations related to the settlement of a
post-closing adjustment and certain other indemnification
obligations.
In
addition to the gain and loss on the dispositions noted above, discontinued
operations as presented in the Company's Condensed Consolidated Statements
of
Income also include net sales and net operating losses from our South Korean
and
German operations as follows (in millions):
|
Three
Months Ended
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
||||||
|
October
31, 2006
|
October
31, 2006
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
Net
Sales
|
$ |
868
|
$ |
2,489
|
||||
Net
Losses
|
(58 | ) | (142 | ) |
4
NOTE
5. Acquisitions and Investments
In
February 2007, the Company announced the purchase of a 35% interest in Bounteous
Company Ltd. (“BCL”). BCL operates 101 hypermarkets in 34 cities in China under
the Trust-Mart banner. The purchase price for the 35% interest was $264 million.
Also in February 2007, the Company paid $376 million to purchase a loan issued
to the selling BCL shareholders that is secured by the pledge of the remaining
equity of BCL. Concurrent with its initial investment in BCL, the Company
entered into a stockholders agreement which provides the Company with voting
rights associated with a portion of the common stock of BCL securing the loan,
amounting to an additional 30% of the aggregate outstanding shares. Pursuant
to
the purchase agreement, the Company is committed to purchase the remaining
interest in BCL on or before February 2010 subject to certain conditions. The
final purchase price for the remaining interest will be approximately $320
million, net of loan repayments and subject to reduction under certain
circumstances.
After
closing on the acquisition, the Company began consolidating BCL using a December
31 fiscal year-end. The Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements
of Income for the quarter and nine months ended October 31, 2007 include the
results of BCL for the period commencing upon the acquisition of the Company’s
interest in BCL and ending September 30, 2007. BCL’s results of operations
were
not material to the Company. Assets recorded in the
acquisition were approximately $1.2 billion, including approximately $438
million in goodwill, and liabilities assumed were approximately $908
million. The consolidated financial statements of BCL, as well as the
allocation of the purchase price are preliminary.
In
August
2007, the Company announced the signing of an agreement between Wal-Mart and
Bharti Enterprises, an Indian company, to establish a joint venture called
Bharti Wal-Mart Private Limited for wholesale cash-and-carry and back-end supply
chain management operations in India, in compliance with Government of India
guidelines. The first wholesale facility is targeted to open late
next year. The venture was formed to establish wholesale warehouse
facilities to serve retailers and business owners by selling them merchandise
at
wholesale prices. The joint venture was also formed to serve Bharti
Retail, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises, that
is developing a chain of retail stores in India. In addition,
Bharti Retail has entered into a franchise agreement with Wal-Mart under which
we will provide technical support to its retail business.
In
October 2007, the Company announced the launch of a tender offer to acquire
the
remaining outstanding common and preferred shares of our Japanese subsidiary,
The Seiyu, Ltd. ("Seiyu"). The Company currently owns 50.9% of Seiyu
and the offer is being made with the full backing of independent members of
the
Seiyu board of directors. The tender offer commenced on October 23
and will be open for 30 business days, expiring on December 4, 2007, and
closing on December 11, 2007, unless extended by the Company. The
tender offer price is 140 yen per common share, which represents a premium
of
60.9% over the closing price on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on October 19, and
a
premium of 34.6% over the average closing price for the prior three
months. The tender offer price is 1,000 yen per preferred
share. If all of the Seiyu common and preferred shares not owned by
the Company are tendered, then the aggregate purchase price to be paid by the
Company would be approximately 100 billion yen or approximately $900
million.
NOTE
6. Significant Long-term Debt Transactions
In
April
2007, the Company issued $500 million of 5.000% Notes Due 2012, $1 billion
of
5.375% Notes Due 2017 and $750 million of 5.875% Notes Due
2027. Interest started accruing on the notes of each series on
April 5, 2007. The Company will pay interest on the notes of each
series on April 5 and October 5 of each year, beginning on October 5, 2007.
The
2012 notes will mature on April 5, 2012; the 2017 notes will mature on April
5,
2017; and the 2027 notes will mature on April 5, 2027. Such notes are
senior, unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of the Company.
In
August
2007, the Company issued $500 million of 5.800% Notes Due 2018 and $2.25 billion
of 6.500% Notes Due 2037. Interest started accruing on the
notes of each series on August 24, 2007. The Company will pay
interest on the notes of each series on February 15 and August 15 of each year,
beginning on February 15, 2008. The 2018 notes will mature on
February 15, 2018, and the 2037 notes will mature on August 15,
2037. Such notes are senior, unsecured and unsubordinated obligations
of the Company.
Additionally,
the Company repaid $6.7 billion in principal for certain notes that matured
during the first nine months of fiscal 2008.
NOTE
7. Segments
The
Company is engaged in the operations of retail stores located in all 50 states
of the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United
Kingdom and through majority-owned subsidiaries in Central America, Japan,
and
Mexico. The Company operates retail stores in China through joint
ventures and through its controlling interest in BCL. The Company identifies
segments based on the information used by our chief operating decision maker
to
analyze performance and to allocate resources among business units of the
Company.
The
Wal-Mart Stores segment includes the Company’s supercenters, discount stores and
Neighborhood Markets in the United States, as well as walmart.com. The Sam’s
Club segment includes the warehouse membership clubs in the United States as
well as samsclub.com. The International segment consists of the Company’s
operations outside of the United States. The amounts under the caption “Other”
in the table below relating to operating income are unallocated corporate
overhead items.
The
Company measures the profit of its segments as “segment operating income,” which
is defined as income from continuing operations before net interest expense,
income taxes and minority interest and excludes unallocated corporate overhead
and results of discontinued operations. At the beginning of fiscal
2008, the Company revised the measurement of each segment’s operating
income. The measurement now includes within each operating segment
certain direct income and expense items that had previously been accounted
for
as unallocated corporate overhead. All prior year measurements of
segment operating income have been restated for comparative purposes. Information
on segments and the reconciliation to income from continuing operations before
income taxes, minority interest and discontinued operations appears in the
following tables.
Net
sales
by operating segment were as follows (in millions):
|
Three
Months Ended
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
||||||||||||||
|
October
31,
|
October
31,
|
||||||||||||||
|
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||||||||
Net
Sales:
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
Wal-Mart
Stores
|
$ |
57,651
|
$ |
54,179
|
$ |
172,101
|
$ |
162,067
|
||||||||
Sam's
Club
|
10,826
|
10,206
|
32,526
|
30,453
|
||||||||||||
International
|
22,403
|
19,158
|
63,630
|
54,382
|
||||||||||||
Total
Company
|
$ |
90,880
|
$ |
83,543
|
$ |
268,257
|
$ |
246,902
|
||||||||
|
5
Segment
operating income and the reconciliation to income from continuing operations
before income taxes, minority interest and discontinued operations are as
follows (in millions):
|
Three
Months Ended
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
||||||||||||||
|
October
31,
|
October
31,
|
||||||||||||||
|
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||||||||
Operating
Income:
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
Wal-Mart
Stores
|
$ |
4,013
|
$ |
3,611
|
$ |
12,214
|
$ |
11,585
|
||||||||
Sam's
Club
|
362
|
341
|
1,172
|
1,045
|
||||||||||||
International
|
1,081
|
995
|
3,026
|
2,743
|
||||||||||||
Other
|
(484 | ) | (482 | ) | (1,297 | ) | (1,308 | ) | ||||||||
Operating
income
|
4,972
|
4,465
|
15,115
|
14,065
|
||||||||||||
Interest
expense, net
|
(459 | ) | (424 | ) | (1,257 | ) | (1,184 | ) | ||||||||
Income
from continuing operations before income taxes,
minority
interest and discontinued operations
|
$ |
4,513
|
$ |
4,041
|
$ |
13,858
|
$ |
12,881
|
||||||||
|
Goodwill
is recorded on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets in the operating
segments as follows (in millions):
October
31,
|
October
31,
|
January
31,
|
||||||||||
|
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
|||||||||
International
|
$ |
14,593
|
$ |
12,952
|
$ |
13,454
|
||||||
Sam’s
Club
|
305
|
305
|
305
|
|||||||||
Total
goodwill
|
$ |
14,898
|
$ |
13,257
|
$ |
13,759
|
The
change in the International segment’s goodwill since the third quarter of
fiscal 2007 is primarily the result of the
acquisition
of BCL and
foreign exchange rate fluctuations.
NOTE
8. Comprehensive Income
Comprehensive
income is net income plus certain other items that are recorded directly to
shareholders’ equity. Amounts included in accumulated other comprehensive income
for the Company’s derivative instruments and minimum pension liabilities are
recorded net of the related income tax effects. Comprehensive income
was $3.6 billion and $10.3 billion for the three and nine months ended October
31, 2007 and $2.3 billion and $8.1 billion for the three and nine months ended
October 31, 2006, respectively.
NOTE
9. Common Stock Dividends
On
March
8, 2007, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase in the Company’s
annual dividend to $0.88 per share. The annual dividend is payable in four
quarterly installments on April 2, 2007, June 4, 2007, September 4, 2007, and
January 2, 2008 to holders of record on March 16, May 18, August 17 and December
14, 2007, respectively. A $0.67 per share annual dividend was
declared in the first quarter of fiscal 2007 and paid during fiscal year 2007
in
four equal quarterly installments.
NOTE
10. Taxes
The
Company's effective tax rate was 34.5% for the third quarter of fiscal
2008. The Company expects the fiscal 2008 annual effective tax rate
to be between 34% and 35%. Significant factors that could impact the
annual effective tax rate include management's assessment of certain tax matters
and the composition of taxable income between domestic and international
operations.
In
determining the quarterly provision for income taxes, the Company uses an
estimated annual effective tax rate based on forecasted annual income adjusted
for revenues and expenses that do not have tax consequences (permanent items),
statutory tax rates and tax planning opportunities in the various jurisdictions
in which the Company operates. The impact of significant discrete
items is separately recognized in the quarter in which they occur.
The
Company adopted the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”)
Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes,” (“FIN 48”)
effective February 1, 2007. FIN 48 clarifies the accounting for
income taxes by prescribing a minimum recognition threshold a tax position
is
required to meet before being recognized in the financial
statements. FIN 48 also provides guidance on derecognition,
measurement, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim
periods, disclosure and transition. As a result of the implementation
of FIN 48, the Company recognized a $236 million increase in the liability
for
unrecognized tax benefits relating to continuing operations and a $28 million
increase in the related liability for interest and penalties for a total of
$264
million. Of this amount, $160 million was accounted for as a
reduction to the February 1, 2007 balance of retained earnings, $70 million
as
an increase to non-current deferred tax assets, and $34 million as an increase
to current deferred tax assets.
As
of
February 1, 2007, after implementation of FIN 48, the Company’s unrecognized tax
benefits relating to continuing operations were $779 million. The
amount, if recognized, that would affect the Company’s effective tax rate is
$529 million at February 1, 2007. The difference relates to tax
positions that are highly certain but there is some degree of uncertainty about
the timing of their recognition.
Additionally,
as of February 1, 2007, the Company had unrecognized tax benefits of $1.733
billion which if recognized would be recorded as discontinued
operations. Of this, $1.670 billion related to a worthless stock
deduction to be claimed for the Company’s disposition of its German operations
in the second quarter of fiscal 2007. Unrecognized tax benefits
relating to discontinued operations increased by $57 million in the second
quarter of fiscal 2008 as a result of the final resolution of outstanding
purchase price adjustment claims and certain indemnities in conjunction with
the
disposition of its German operations. The Internal Revenue Service
often challenges the characterization of a worthless stock deduction and the
resolution of any challenges could result in recognition of all, part or none
of
the deduction. If the deduction is re-characterized as a capital
loss, any benefit from such capital loss could only be realized by offset
against future capital gains and would expire in 2012.
The
Company classifies interest on uncertain tax benefits as interest expense and
income tax penalties as operating, selling, general and administrative
expenses. At February 1, 2007, before any tax benefits, the Company
had $177 million of accrued interest and penalties on unrecognized tax
benefits.
In
the
normal course of business, the Company provides for uncertain tax positions
and
the related interest, and adjusts its unrecognized tax benefits and accrued
interest accordingly. During the third quarter of fiscal 2008, unrecognized
tax
benefits related to continuing operations decreased by $36 million and accrued
interest increased by $11 million. For the first nine months of fiscal 2008,
unrecognized tax benefits related to continuing operations and accrued interest
increased by $29 million and $31 million, respectively. During the next twelve
months, tax audit resolutions could potentially reduce unrecognized tax benefits
by up to approximately $150 million, either because our tax positions are
sustained on audit or because the Company agrees to their disallowance. Such
unrecognized tax benefits relate primarily to timing recognition issues and
the
resolution of the gain determination on a discontinued operation in fiscal
year
2004.
The
Company is subject to income tax examinations for its U.S. federal income taxes
for the fiscal years 2004 through 2007, for non-U.S. income taxes for the tax
years 2002 through 2006, and for state and local income taxes for the fiscal
years 1997 through 2007.
Additionally,
the Company is subject to tax examinations for payroll, value added, sales-based
and other taxes. A number of these examinations are ongoing and, in many cases,
have resulted in assessments from the taxing authorities. Where appropriate,
the
Company has made accruals for these matters which are reflected in the Company's
consolidated financial statements. While these matters are individually
immaterial, a group of related matters, if decided adversely to the Company,
may
result in liability material to the Company's financial condition or results
of
operations.
6
NOTE
11. Legal Proceedings
The
Company is involved in a number of legal proceedings. In accordance with
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 5, “Accounting for
Contingencies,” the Company has made accruals with respect to these matters,
where appropriate, which are reflected in the Company's consolidated financial
statements. The Company may enter into discussions regarding settlement of
these
matters, and may enter into settlement agreements, if it believes settlement
is
in the best interests of the Company's shareholders. The matters, or groups
of
related matters, discussed below, if decided adversely to or settled by the
Company, individually or in the aggregate, may result in liability material
to
the Company's financial condition or results of operations.
Wage
and Hour “Off the Clock” Class Actions: The Company is a defendant in
numerous cases containing class-action allegations in which the plaintiffs
are
current and former hourly associates who allege that the Company forced them
to
work “off the clock” or failed to provide work breaks, or otherwise that they
were not paid correctly for work performed. The complaints generally seek
unspecified monetary damages, injunctive relief, or both. Class or
collective-action certification has yet to be addressed by the court in a
majority of these cases. Where it has been addressed, certification has been
denied in nine of these cases; has been granted in whole or in part in nine
of
these cases; and has been conditionally granted for notice purposes only in
two
of these cases. In another nine such cases, certification was denied and the
case was then dismissed, and in two additional such cases, certification was
granted and the case was then dismissed. The Company cannot reasonably estimate
the possible loss or range of loss that may arise from these lawsuits, except
as
noted below.
One
of
the class-action lawsuits described above is Savaglio v. Wal-Mart Stores,
Inc., a class-action lawsuit in which the plaintiffs allege that they were
not provided meal and rest breaks in accordance with California law, and seek
monetary damages and injunctive relief. A trial on the plaintiffs' claims for
monetary damages concluded on December 22, 2005. The jury returned a verdict
of
approximately $57 million in statutory penalties and $115 million in punitive
damages. In June 2006, the judge entered an order allowing some, but not all,
of
the injunctive relief sought by the plaintiffs. On December 27, 2006, the judge
entered an order awarding the plaintiffs an additional amount of approximately
$26 million in costs and attorneys’ fees. The Company believes it has
substantial factual and legal defenses to the claims at issue, and on January
31, 2007, the Company filed its Notice of Appeal.
In
another of the class-action lawsuits described above, Braun/Hummel v.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., a trial was commenced in September 2006, in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs allege that the Company failed to
pay
class members for all hours worked and prevented class members from taking
their
full meal and rest breaks. On October 13, 2006, the jury awarded back-pay
damages to the plaintiffs of approximately $78 million on their claims for
off-the-clock work and missed rest breaks. The jury found in favor of
the Company on the plaintiffs’ meal-period claims. On November 14,
2007, the trial judge entered a final judgment in the approximate amount of
$188
million, which included the jury’s back-pay award plus statutory penalties,
prejudgment interest and attorneys’ fees. The Company believes it has
substantial factual and legal defenses to the claims at issue, and intends
to
challenge the judgment on appeal.
Another
of the class-action lawsuits described above, Braun v. Wal-Mart Stores,
Inc., a trial commenced on September 24, 2007, in the First
Judicial District Court for Dakota County, Minnesota. The plaintiffs allege
that
class members worked off the clock and were not provided meal and rest breaks
in
accordance with Minnesota law, and seek monetary damages in an unspecified
amount, together with attorneys' fees, interest, statutory penalties, and
punitive damages, if any. The Company believes that it has substantial factual
and legal defenses to the claims at issue. The Company cannot reasonably
estimate the possible loss or range of loss that may arise from this
litigation.
Exempt
Status Cases: The Company is currently a defendant in two putative
class actions pending in federal court in California in which the plaintiffs
seek certification of a class of salaried managers who challenge their exempt
status under state and federal laws. In one of those cases (Sepulveda v.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.), class certification has been denied and the ruling
is now on appeal. In the other (Salvador v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Sam’s
West, Inc.), certification has not yet been addressed by the trial court.
The Company cannot reasonably estimate the possible loss or range of loss that
may arise from these lawsuits.
Gender
Discrimination Cases: The Company is a defendant in Dukes v.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., a class-action lawsuit commenced in June 2001 and
pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of
California. The case was brought on behalf of all past and present female
employees in all of the Company's retail stores and warehouse clubs in the
United States. The complaint alleges that the Company has engaged in a pattern
and practice of discriminating against women in promotions, pay, training and
job assignments. The complaint seeks, among other things, injunctive relief,
front pay, back pay, punitive damages, and attorneys' fees. On June 21, 2004,
the district court issued an order granting in part and denying in part the
plaintiffs' motion for class certification. The class, which was certified
by
the district court for purposes of liability, injunctive and declaratory relief,
punitive damages, and lost pay, subject to certain exceptions, includes all
women employed at any Wal-Mart domestic retail store at any time since December
26, 1998, who have been or may be subjected to the pay and management track
promotions policies and practices challenged by the plaintiffs. The class as
certified currently includes approximately 1.6 million present and former female
associates.
The
Company believes that the district court's ruling is incorrect. On August 31,
2004, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted the
Company's petition for discretionary review of the ruling. On February 6, 2007,
a divided three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals issued a decision affirming
the district court’s certification order. On February 20, 2007, the Company
filed a petition asking that the decision be reconsidered by a larger panel
of
the court. If the Company is not successful in its appeal of class
certification, or an appellate court issues a ruling that allows for the
certification of a class or classes with a different size or scope, and if
there
is a subsequent adverse verdict on the merits from which there is no successful
appeal, or in the event of a negotiated settlement of the litigation, the
resulting liability could be material to the Company. The plaintiffs also seek
punitive damages which, if awarded, could result in the payment of additional
amounts material to the Company. However, because of the uncertainty of the
outcome of the appeal from the district court's certification decision, because
of the uncertainty of the balance of the proceedings contemplated by the
district court, and because the Company's liability, if any, arising from the
litigation, including the size of any damages award if plaintiffs are successful
in the litigation or any negotiated settlement, could vary widely, the Company
cannot reasonably estimate the possible loss or range of loss that may arise
from the litigation.
The
Company is a defendant in a lawsuit that was filed on August 24, 2001, in the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of
Kentucky. EEOC (Janice Smith) v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is an
action brought by the EEOC on behalf of Janice Smith and all other females
who
made application or transfer requests at the London, Kentucky, distribution
center from 1995 to the present, and who were not hired or transferred into
the
warehouse positions for which they applied. The class seeks back pay for those
females not selected for hire or transfer during the relevant time period.
The
class also seeks injunctive and prospective affirmative relief. The complaint
alleges that the Company based hiring decisions on gender in violation of Title
VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as amended. The EEOC can maintain this action
as a class without certification. The Company cannot reasonably estimate the
possible loss or range of loss that may arise from this litigation.
California
Hazardous Materials Investigations: On November 8, 2005, the Company
received a grand jury subpoena from the United States Attorney's Office for
the
Central District of California, seeking documents and information relating
to
the Company's receipt, transportation, handling, identification, recycling,
treatment, storage and disposal of certain merchandise that constitutes
hazardous materials or hazardous waste. The Company has been informed by the
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California that it is a
target of a criminal investigation into potential violations of the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), the Clean Water Act, and the Hazardous
Materials Transportation Statute. This U.S. Attorney's Office contends, among
other things, that the use of Company trucks to transport certain returned
merchandise from the Company's stores to its return centers is prohibited by
RCRA because those materials may be considered hazardous waste. The government
alleges that, to comply with RCRA, the Company must ship from the store certain
materials as “hazardous waste” directly to a certified disposal facility using a
certified hazardous waste carrier. The Company contends that the practice of
transporting returned merchandise to its return centers for subsequent
disposition, including disposal by certified facilities, is compliant with
applicable laws and regulations. While management cannot predict the ultimate
outcome of this matter, management does not believe the outcome will have a
material effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of
operations.
Additionally,
the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of California has initiated
its own investigation regarding the Company's handling of hazardous materials
and hazardous waste and the Company has received administrative document
requests from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control requesting
documents and information with respect to two of the Company's distribution
facilities. Further, the Company also received a subpoena from the Los Angeles
County District Attorney's Office for documents and administrative
interrogatories requesting information, among other things, regarding the
Company's handling of materials and hazardous waste. California state and local
government authorities and the State of Nevada have also initiated
investigations into these matters. The Company is cooperating fully with the
respective authorities. While management cannot predict the ultimate outcome
of
this matter, management does not believe the outcome will have a material effect
on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.
7
NOTE
12. Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In
June
2006, the Emerging Issues Task Force reached a consensus on Issue No. 06-3
(“EITF 06-3”), “Disclosure Requirements for Taxes Assessed by a Governmental
Authority on Revenue-Producing Transactions.” The consensus allows an entity to
choose between two acceptable alternatives based on their accounting policies
for transactions in which the entity collects taxes on behalf of a governmental
authority, such as sales taxes. Under the gross method, taxes collected are
accounted for as a component of sales revenue with an offsetting expense.
Conversely, the net method allows a reduction to sales revenue. Entities should
disclose the method selected pursuant to APB No. 22, “Disclosure of
Accounting Policies.” If such taxes are reported gross and are significant,
entities should disclose the amount of those taxes. The Company adopted the
guidance during the first quarter of fiscal 2008 and consistent with its
historical accounting policies the Company has presented sales net of tax
collected.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements” (“SFAS 157”). This standard defines fair
value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted
accounting principles and expands required disclosures about fair value
measurements. The Company will adopt SFAS 157 on February 1, 2008, as
required. The adoption of SFAS 157 is not expected to have a material impact
on
the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No.
159 “The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial
Liabilities–Including an amendment of FASB Statement No. 115” (“SFAS 159”). SFAS
159 permits companies to measure many financial instruments and certain other
items at fair value at specified election dates. SFAS 159 will be effective
beginning February 1, 2008. The Company is currently assessing the impact of
SFAS 159 on its financial statements.
Item
2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
This
discussion relates to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries
(the “Company”) and should be read in conjunction with our condensed
consolidated financial statements included under Part I, Item 1, of this
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as our financial statements as of January
31, 2007, and for the year then ended, and the related Management’s Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, both of which
are
contained in our Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended January 31,
2007, and included as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year
ended January 31, 2007.
We
intend
for this discussion to provide the reader with information that will assist
the
reader in understanding our financial statements, the changes in certain key
items in those financial statements from year to year, and the primary factors
that accounted for those changes, as well as how certain accounting principles
affect our financial statements. The discussion also provides information about
the financial results of the various operating segments of our business to
provide a better understanding of how those segments and their results affect
the financial condition and results of operations of the Company as a
whole.
Throughout
this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations, we discuss segment operating income and comparable store sales.
Segment operating income refers to income from continuing operations before
net
interest expense, income taxes and minority interest. Segment operating income
does not include unallocated corporate overhead and discontinued operations.
Comparable store sales is a measure which indicates the performance of our
existing stores by measuring the growth in sales for such stores for a
particular period over the corresponding period in the prior year. We
include in our measure of comparable store sales all stores and clubs that
have
been open for at least the previous 12 months. Additionally, stores and clubs
that are relocated, converted or expanded are excluded from comparable store
sales for the first 12 months following the relocation, conversion or expansion.
Comparable store sales is also referred to as “same-store” sales by others
within the retail industry. The method of calculating comparable store sales
varies across the retail industry. As a result, our calculation of comparable
store sales is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures reported
by other companies.
Key
Items in the Third Quarter
Significant
financial items related to the third quarter of fiscal 2008
include:
·
|
Net
sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2008 were approximately $90.9
billion, an increase of 8.8% over the third quarter of fiscal
2007. Income from continuing operations for the quarter was
$2.86 billion, an increase of
10.1%.
|
·
|
Comparable
store sales in the United States increased 1.5% for the quarter ended
October 31, 2007. Comparable store sales at our Wal-Mart Stores segment
increased 1.0% for the third quarter of fiscal 2008, while Sam’s Club’s
comparable store sales increased 3.8%, including a negative 0.1 percentage
point impact from fuel sales.
|
·
|
Net
cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations was
$9.4
billion for the first nine months of fiscal 2008. Additionally, we
paid
$5.3 billion in cash to repurchase shares of our common stock, paid
dividends of $2.7 billion, issued $8.0 billion in long-term debt,
repaid
$6.7 billion of long-term debt and increased our outstanding commercial
paper by $6.5 billion (net of
repayments).
|
·
|
Total
assets increased 9.2%, to $165.1 billion at October 31, 2007, compared
to
October 31, 2006. During the first nine months of fiscal 2008, we
made
$10.9 billion of capital expenditures, down 4.6% from the first nine
months of fiscal 2007.
|
·
|
Our
Wal-Mart Stores segment experienced a 6.4% increase in segment net
sales
and a 11.1% increase in segment operating
income.
|
·
|
Sam’s
Club produced a 6.1% increase in segment net sales and a 6.2% increase
in
segment operating income.
|
·
|
Our
International segment generated a 16.9% increase in segment net sales
and
an 8.6% increase in segment operating
income.
|
·
|
Income
from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2008 included
the recognition of $47 million in after-tax gains, or $0.01 per diluted
share, from the sale of certain real estate properties. The
third quarter of fiscal 2007 included a favorable after-tax impact
of $56
million, or $0.01 per diluted share, for property insurance-related
gains
($52 million in our Wal-Mart Stores segment and $4 million in our
Sam’s
Club segment).
|
8
Discontinued
Operations and Acquisitions and Investments
Refer
to Notes 4 and
5 of our condensed
consolidated financial statements included under Part I, Item 1, of this
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a discussion
of
discontinued operations and acquisitions and investments.
Results
of Operations
The
following discussion of our Results of Operations is based on our continuing
operations and excludes any results or discussion of our discontinued operations
in South Korea and Germany.
Quarter
ended October 31, 2007
The
Company and each of its operating
segments had net sales for the quarters ended October 31,
2007
and 2006
as follows (dollars in
millions):
|
Three
Months Ended
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
October
31, 2007
|
October
31, 2006
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
2007
|
Percent
of Total
|
2006
|
Percent
of Total
|
Percent
Change
|
|||||||||||||||
Net
Sales:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Wal-Mart
Stores
|
$ |
57,651
|
63.4 | % | $ |
54,179
|
64.9 | % | 6.4 | % | ||||||||||
Sam's
Club
|
10,826
|
11.9 | % |
10,206
|
12.2 | % | 6.1 | % | ||||||||||||
International
|
22,403
|
24.7 | % |
19,158
|
22.9 | % | 16.9 | % | ||||||||||||
Total
net sales
|
$ |
90,880
|
100.0 | % | $ |
83,543
|
100.0 | % | 8.8 | % |
The
increase in our net sales for the quarter ended October 31, 2007 compared with
the quarter ended October 31, 2006 resulted primarily from our U.S. and global
expansion programs and a comparable store sales increase of 1.5% in the United
States. For the third quarter of fiscal 2008, foreign currency exchange
rates favorably impacted net sales by $1.1 billion.
The
decrease in Wal-Mart Stores segment’s net sales as a percentage of total net
sales is due to lower comparable store sales in the third quarter of fiscal
2008
and the higher net sales increase in the International segment from the
prior year period. The decrease in the Sam’s Club segment’s net sales as a
percentage of total net sales resulted from the more rapid development of new
stores in the Wal-Mart Stores and International segments than in the Sam’s Club
segment.
Our
total
gross margin as a percentage of net sales (our “gross margin”) increased from
23.7% in the third quarter of fiscal 2007 to 23.8% for the third quarter of
fiscal 2008. This increase is primarily due to improved gross margin
performance in the International segment, the effect of which was partially
offset by higher inventory shrink at the Wal-Mart Stores segment.
Operating,
selling, general and administrative expenses (“operating expenses”) as a
percentage of net sales were essentially flat compared to the corresponding
quarter in fiscal 2007 as a result of effective expense leveraging in the
Wal-Mart Stores and Sam’s Club segments. Operating expenses for the
third quarter of fiscal 2007 included the favorable impact of property
insurance-related gains of $85 million.
Membership
and other income, which includes a variety of non-sales income categories such
as Sam’s Club membership fee revenues and tenant income, increased 15.7% in the
third quarter of fiscal 2008 compared to the prior year due to continued growth
in our financial services area, which includes money transfer, money order,
bill
payment and payroll check cashing services, and recycling income resulting
from
our sustainability efforts. Membership and other income for the third
quarter of fiscal 2008 also includes recognition of $71 million in pre-tax
gains
from the sale of certain real estate properties.
Interest,
net, increased 8.3% in the third quarter of fiscal 2008 when compared with
the
same period last year largely due to higher borrowing levels in the third
quarter of fiscal 2008. Weighted-average effective interest rates for
the quarter ended October 31, 2007, were relatively consistent with the prior
year quarter.
Our
effective income tax rate from continuing operations for the third quarter
of
fiscal 2008 was 34.5% which compares with 33.7% in the third quarter of fiscal
2007. The rate increased due primarily to the mix of forecasted
taxable income between our domestic and international operations and a
corresponding decrease in expected foreign tax credits.
9
Nine
months ended October31, 2007
The
Company and each of its operating
segments had net sales for the nine months
ended October 31,
2007
and 2006
as follows (dollars in
millions):
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
October
31,
|
October
31,
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
2007
|
Percent
of Total
|
2006
|
Percent
of Total
|
Percent
Change
|
|||||||||||||||
Net
Sales:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Wal-Mart
Stores
|
$ |
172,101
|
64.2 | % | $ |
162,067
|
65.7 | % | 6.2 | % | ||||||||||
Sam's
Club
|
32,526
|
12.1 | % |
30,453
|
12.3 | % | 6.8 | % | ||||||||||||
International
|
63,630
|
23.7 | % |
54,382
|
22.0 | % | 17.0 | % | ||||||||||||
Total
net sales
|
$ |
268,257
|
100.0 | % | $ |
246,902
|
100.0 | % | 8.6 | % | ||||||||||
|
The
increase in our net sales for the nine months ended October 31, 2007 compared
with the nine months ended October 31, 2006 resulted primarily from our U.S.
and
global expansion programs and a comparable store sales increase of 1.4% in
the
United States. Foreign currency exchange rates favorably impacted net
sales by $2.7 billion for the nine months ended October 31, 2007.
The
decrease in Wal-Mart Stores segment’s net sales as a percentage of total net
sales is due to lower comparable store sales for the Wal-Mart Stores segment
in
the first nine months of fiscal 2008 when compared to the prior year period
and
the increase in the International segment’s net sales. The decrease in the
Sam’s Club segment’s net sales as a percentage of total net sales resulted from
the more rapid development of new stores in the Wal-Mart Stores and
International segments than in the Sam’s Club segment.
Our
gross
margin decreased from 23.6% in the first nine months of fiscal 2007 to 23.5%
for
the first nine months of fiscal 2008. This decrease was primarily due
to pressures on Wal-Mart Stores segment’s gross margin from higher inventory
shrink, partially offset by the $97 million refund of excise taxes previously
paid on past merchandise sales of prepaid phone cards and the stable gross
margin performance in the International segment.
Operating
expenses as a percentage of net sales in the first nine months of fiscal 2008
were essentially flat compared to the corresponding period in fiscal
2007. Operating expenses for the first nine months of fiscal 2008
include the favorable impact of a change in estimated losses associated with
our
general liability and workers’ compensation claims which reduced our accrued
liabilities for such claims by $298 million pre-tax, partially offset by $183
million in pre-tax charges for certain litigation and other
contingencies. The net favorable impact of these items reduced our
operating expenses as a percentage of net sales by 0.1 percentage
points. Otherwise, operating expenses as a percentage of net sales
increased primarily due to lower segment net sales increases compared to the
prior year for our Wal-Mart Stores and International
segments. Additionally, operating expenses for the first nine months
of fiscal 2007 included the favorable impact of property insurance-related
gains
of $85 million.
Membership
and other income, which includes a variety of non-sales income categories such
as Sam’s Club membership fee revenues and tenant income, increased 16.6% for the
first nine months of fiscal 2008 from the prior year period due to
continued growth in our financial services area and recycling
income. Membership and other income for the first nine months of
fiscal 2008 also includes the recognition of $134 million in pre-tax gains
from
the sale of certain real estate properties.
Interest,
net, increased 6.2% in the first nine months of fiscal 2008 when compared with
the same period last year largely due to higher borrowing levels in the first
nine months of fiscal 2008. Weighted-average effective interest rates
for the nine months ended October 31, 2007, were relatively consistent with
the
prior year period.
Our
effective income tax rate from continuing operations for the first nine months
of fiscal 2008 was 34.4%, which compares with 34.1% for the first nine months
of
fiscal 2007. The effective income tax rate increased primarily due to
the mix of taxable income among our domestic and international
operations.
10
Wal-Mart
Stores Segment
Quarter
ended October 31, 2007
|
|
Segment
net
|
|
Segment
operating
|
Segment
operating
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
sales
increase
|
Segment
|
income
increase
|
income
as a
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Segment
|
from
prior
|
operating
|
from
prior fiscal
|
percentage
|
|||||||||||||||
Quarter
ended
|
net
sales
|
fiscal
year
|
income
|
year
third
|
of
segment
|
|||||||||||||||
October
31,
|
(in
millions)
|
third
quarter
|
(in
millions)
|
quarter
|
net
sales
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
$ |
57,651
|
6.4 | % | $ |
4,013
|
11.1 | % | 7.0 | % | ||||||||||
2006
|
$ |
54,179
|
7.8 | % | $ |
3,611
|
10.4 | % | 6.7 | % |
The
net sales
increase for the Wal-Mart Stores segment in the third quarter of fiscal 2008
over the third quarter of fiscal 2007 resulted from our continued expansion
activities, strength in the grocery, health and wellness and entertainment
categories and a comparable store sales increase of 1.0%. Comparable
store sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2008 increased primarily due to
an
increase in average transaction size per customer, partially offset by a
decrease in customer traffic in our comparable stores.
Gross
margin was essentially flat due to higher initial margins and decreased markdown
activity, offset by higher inventory shrink during the third quarter of fiscal
2008.
Operating
expenses as a percentage of segment net sales for the third quarter of fiscal
2008 were 0.1 percentage point lower compared to the corresponding period in
fiscal 2007 due to higher labor productivity and lower general liability and
workers’ compensation claims cost. Operating expenses for the third
quarter of fiscal 2007 included the favorable impact of property
insurance-related gains of $79 million.
Other
income in the third quarter of fiscal 2008 increased from the third quarter
of
fiscal 2007 due to continued growth in our financial services area and increases
in recycling income. Other income, net, for the third quarter of
fiscal 2008 also includes recognition of $71 million in pre-tax gains from
the
sale of certain real estate properties.
Nine
months ended October 31, 2007
|
|
Segment
net
|
|
|
Segment
operating
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
sales
increase
|
Segment
|
Segment
operating
|
income
as a
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Segment
|
from
prior
|
operating
|
income
increase
|
percentage
|
|||||||||||||||
Nine
months ended
|
net
sales
|
fiscal
year
|
income
|
from
prior fiscal
|
of
segment
|
|||||||||||||||
October
31,
|
(in
millions)
|
period
|
(in
millions)
|
year
period
|
net
sales
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
$ |
172,101
|
6.2 | % | $ |
12,214
|
5.4 | % | 7.1 | % | ||||||||||
2006
|
$ |
162,067
|
8.3 | % | $ |
11,585
|
11.2 | % | 7.1 | % |
The
net
sales increase in the first nine months of fiscal 2008 over the first nine
months of fiscal 2007 for the Wal-Mart Stores segment resulted from our
continued expansion activities, strength in the grocery, health and
wellness and entertainment categories and a comparable store sales increase
of
0.7%. Comparable store sales for the first nine months of fiscal 2008
increased primarily due to an increase in average transaction size per customer,
partially offset by a decrease in customer traffic in our comparable
stores.
Gross
margin decreased 0.2 percentage points for the first nine months of fiscal
2008
primarily due to higher inventory shrink, partially offset by the $46 million
excise tax refund on taxes previously paid on past prepaid phone card
sales.
Operating
expenses as a percentage of segment net sales for the first nine months of
fiscal 2008 were essentially flat compared to the corresponding period in fiscal
2007. Operating expenses for the first nine months of fiscal 2008
were favorably impacted by the change in estimated losses associated with our
general liability and workers’ compensation claims, which reduced accrued
liabilities for such claims by $274 million, partially offset by pre-tax charges
of $145 million for certain legal and other contingencies. The net
favorable impact of these items reduced our operating expenses as a percentage
of segment net sales by 0.1 percentage point. Otherwise, operating
expenses as a percentage of segment net sales increased primarily due to lower
segment net sales increases compared to the prior year. Additionally,
operating expenses for the nine months ended October 31, 2006, included the
favorable impact of property insurance-related gains of $79
million.
Other
income
in the first nine months of fiscal 2008 increased from the prior year period
due
to continued growth in our financial services area and increases in recycling
income. Other income, net, for the first nine months of fiscal 2008
also includes pre-tax gains of $134 million from the sale of certain real estate
properties.
11
Sam’s
Club Segment
Quarter
ended October 31, 2007
|
|
Segment
net
|
|
Segment
operating
|
Segment
operating
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
sales
increase
|
Segment
|
income
increase
|
income
as a
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Segment
|
from
prior
|
operating
|
from
prior fiscal
|
percentage
|
|||||||||||||||
Quarter
ended
|
net
sales
|
fiscal
year
|
income
|
year
third
|
of
segment
|
|||||||||||||||
October
31,
|
(in
millions)
|
third
quarter
|
(in
millions)
|
quarter
|
net
sales
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
$ |
10,826
|
6.1 | % | $ |
362
|
6.2 | % | 3.3 | % | ||||||||||
2006
|
$ |
10,206
|
1.9 | % | $ |
341
|
-2.0 | % | 3.3 | % |
The
Sam’s
Club segment net sales increase for the third quarter of fiscal 2008 over the
third quarter of fiscal 2007 resulted from growth in comparable club sales
and
continued expansion activities. Third quarter fiscal 2008 comparable club sales
increased 3.8%, including a negative 0.1% impact from fuel sales. Comparable
club sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2008 increased primarily due to
an
increase in both member traffic and average transaction size per
member.
The
increase in segment operating income for the third quarter of fiscal 2008 from
the prior year resulted primarily from the leveraging of operating expenses,
whereas gross margin was relatively consistent with last year as a percentage
of
segment net sales. Operating expenses as a percentage of segment net sales
decreased primarily due to lower advertising costs and favorable trends in
estimated losses associated with our general liability and workers’ compensation
claims. Additionally, operating expenses for the third quarter of
fiscal 2007 included the favorable impact of property insurance-related gains
of
$6 million.
Nine
months ended October31, 2007
|
|
Segment
net
|
|
|
Segment
operating
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
sales
increase
|
Segment
|
Segment
operating
|
income
as a
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Segment
|
from
prior
|
operating
|
income
increase
|
percentage
|
|||||||||||||||
Nine
months ended
|
net
sales
|
fiscal
year
|
income
|
from
prior fiscal
|
of
segment
|
|||||||||||||||
October
31,
|
(in
millions)
|
period
|
(in
millions)
|
year
period
|
net
sales
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
$ |
32,526
|
6.8 | % | $ |
1,172
|
12.2 | % | 3.6 | % | ||||||||||
2006
|
$ |
30,453
|
4.5 | % | $ |
1,045
|
2.7 | % | 3.4 | % |
The
Sam’s
Club segment net sales increase for the first nine months of fiscal 2008 over
the first nine months of fiscal 2007 resulted from growth in comparable club
sales and continued expansion activities. The comparable club sales increase
for
the first nine months of fiscal 2008 was 4.8%, with no impact from fuel sales.
Comparable club sales for the first nine months of fiscal 2008 increased
primarily due to an increase in both member traffic and average transaction
size
per member.
The
increase in segment operating income for the first nine months of fiscal 2008
includes a net positive impact of the favorable change in estimated losses
associated with our general liability and workers’ compensation claims, which
reduced accrued liabilities for such claims by $21 million, and a $39 million
excise tax refund, partially offset by $15 million in litigation-related
charges. Furthermore, operating expenses in the first nine months of fiscal
2007
included an $11 million charge related to closing two Sam’s Clubs, partially
offset by the favorable impact of property insurance-related gains of $6
million. The remainder of the increase in segment operating income
from the prior year period resulted primarily from the leveraging of operating
expenses, offset by a slight decrease in gross margin as a percentage of segment
net sales. Operating expenses as a percentage of segment net sales
decreased primarily due to lower wage, utility and advertising
costs.
12
International
Segment
Quarter
ended October 31, 2007
|
|
Segment
net
|
|
Segment
operating
|
Segment
operating
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
sales
increase
|
Segment
|
income
increase
|
income
as a
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Segment
|
from
prior
|
operating
|
from
prior fiscal
|
percentage
|
|||||||||||||||
Quarter
ended
|
net
sales
|
fiscal
year
|
income
|
year
third
|
of
segment
|
|||||||||||||||
October
31,
|
(in
millions)
|
third
quarter
|
(in
millions)
|
quarter
|
net
sales
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
$ |
22,403
|
16.9 | % | $ |
1,081
|
8.6 | % | 4.8 | % | ||||||||||
2006
|
$ |
19,158
|
33.7 | % | $ |
995
|
19.2 | % | 5.2 | % |
International
segment net sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2008, when compared to the
same period in fiscal 2007, increased as a result of increased sales at existing
units, continued expansion activities within the segment and the acquisition
of
the controlling interest in Bounteous Company Ltd. (“BCL”). BCL operates 101
hypermarkets in 34 cities in China under the Trust-Mart
banner. Net sales increases in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and
China contributed to the majority of the increase in segment net sales for
the
third quarter of fiscal 2008 when compared to the prior year quarter. Exchange
rate movements (primarily in the strengthening of the British pound, Canadian
dollar and Brazilian real versus the U.S. dollar) had a favorable impact of
$1.1
billion on segment net sales during the quarter.
International
segment operating income as a percentage of segment net sales declined from
the
third quarter of fiscal 2007 to the third quarter of fiscal
2008. This decline was driven primarily by an increase in operating
expenses as a percentage of segment net sales, which includes a charge of $35
million for certain legal matters. The International segment’s gross
margin increased primarily due to a favorable shift in the mix of products
sold toward higher margin goods in Brazil. Exchange rate movements had a
favorable impact of $55 million on operating income in the third quarter of
fiscal 2008.
Nine
months ended October 31, 2007
|
|
Segment
net
|
|
|
Segment
operating
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
sales
increase
|
Segment
|
Segment
operating
|
income
as a
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Segment
|
from
prior
|
operating
|
income
increase
|
percentage
|
|||||||||||||||
Nine
months ended
|
net
sales
|
fiscal
year
|
income
|
from
prior fiscal
|
of
segment
|
|||||||||||||||
October
31,
|
(in
millions)
|
period
|
(in
millions)
|
year
period
|
net
sales
|
|||||||||||||||
2007
|
$ |
63,630
|
17.0 | % | $ |
3,026
|
10.3 | % | 4.8 | % | ||||||||||
2006
|
$ |
54,382
|
30.4 | % | $ |
2,743
|
17.5 | % | 5.0 | % |
International
segment net sales for the first nine months of fiscal 2008, when compared to
same period in fiscal 2007, increased as a result of increased sales at existing
units, continued expansion activities within the segment and the acquisition
of
the controlling interest in BCL. Net sales increases in the United Kingdom,
Brazil, Canada, and China and the consolidation of BCL contributed to the
majority of the increase in segment net sales for the first nine months of
fiscal 2008 when compared to the same prior year period. Exchange rate movements
(primarily in strengthening of the British pound, Canadian dollar and Brazilian
real versus the U.S. dollar, partially offset by a decline in the Japanese
yen
and Mexican peso versus the U.S. dollar) had a favorable impact of $2.7 billion
on segment net sales during the first nine months of fiscal 2008.
The
International segment’s operating income as a percentage of segment net sales
declined from the first nine months of fiscal 2007 to the first nine months
of
fiscal 2008 due to an increase in operating expenses as a percentage of segment
net sales, partially offset by an improvement in gross margin across most
countries. The increase in expenses as a percentage of segment net sales was
largely due to the impact of BCL, sales pressures combined with the startup
of
banking operations in Mexico, development activities in India and a charge
of
$35 million for certain legal matters. The net impact of changes in foreign
currency rates favorably impacted the segment’s operating income by $119 million
in the nine months ended October 31, 2007.
13
Unit
Data By Segment
Square
Footage in Thousands
|
October
31, 2007
|
October
31, 2006
|
January
31, 2007
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Square
|
|
Square
|
|
Square
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
Units
|
Footage
|
Units
|
Footage
|
Units
|
Footage
|
||||||||||||||||||
Wal-Mart
Stores Segment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
Discount
Stores
|
988
|
106,388
|
1,100
|
114,261
|
1,075
|
114,507
|
||||||||||||||||||
Supercenters
|
2,419
|
451,258
|
2,176
|
407,230
|
2,256
|
421,211
|
||||||||||||||||||
Neighborhood
Markets
|
128
|
5,419
|
110
|
4,629
|
112
|
4,672
|
||||||||||||||||||
Total
Wal-Mart Stores Segment
|
3,535
|
563,065
|
3,386
|
526,120
|
3,443
|
540,390
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sam's
Club Segment
|
586
|
77,525
|
574
|
74,788
|
579
|
76,270
|
||||||||||||||||||
United
States Total
|
4,121
|
640,590
|
3,960
|
600,908
|
4,022
|
616,660
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
International
Segment
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Argentina
|
17
|
2,895
|
13
|
2,409
|
13
|
2,427
|
||||||||||||||||||
Brazil
|
299
|
23,992
|
299
|
23,569
|
299
|
23,789
|
||||||||||||||||||
Canada
|
293
|
34,394
|
279
|
31,877
|
289
|
33,591
|
||||||||||||||||||
Central
America
|
439
|
7,592
|
394
|
6,799
|
413
|
7,128
|
||||||||||||||||||
Trust-Mart
- China
|
101
|
17,653
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||||||||
Wal-Mart
- China
|
91
|
16,871
|
67
|
12,395
|
73
|
13,583
|
||||||||||||||||||
Japan
|
394
|
29,001
|
391
|
28,550
|
392
|
28,780
|
||||||||||||||||||
Mexico
|
975
|
54,846
|
853
|
49,067
|
889
|
50,401
|
||||||||||||||||||
Puerto
Rico
|
54
|
3,829
|
54
|
3,811
|
54
|
3,829
|
||||||||||||||||||
United
Kingdom
|
347
|
27,636
|
330
|
26,424
|
335
|
26,800
|
||||||||||||||||||
Total
International Segment
|
3,010
|
218,709
|
2,680
|
184,901
|
2,757
|
190,328
|
||||||||||||||||||
Grand
Totals
|
7,131
|
859,299
|
6,640
|
785,809
|
6,779
|
806,988
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Overview
Cash
flows
from operating activities of continuing operations provide us with a significant
source of liquidity. Cash flows provided by continuing operating activities
in
the nine months ended October 31, 2007 were $9.4 billion compared to $10.1
billion for the nine months ended October 31, 2006. Operating cash
flows from continuing operations in the first nine months of fiscal 2008
declined compared with those for same period in fiscal 2007 primarily due to
the
timing of payments in our accounts payable cycle.
During
the
first nine months of fiscal 2008, we paid $5.3 billion in cash to repurchase
shares of our common stock, paid dividends of $2.7 billion, made $10.9 billion
in capital expenditures for continuing operations, issued $8.0 billion in
long-term debt, repaid $6.7 billion of long-term debt and increased $6.5 billion
of commercial paper (net of commercial paper repaid in that
period).
In
April
2007, the Company issued $500 million of 5.000% Notes Due 2012, $1 billion
of
5.375% Notes Due 2017 and $750 million of 5.875% Notes Due
2027. Interest started accruing on the notes of each series on
April 5, 2007. The Company will pay interest on the notes of each
series on April 5 and October 5 of each year, beginning on October 5, 2007.
The
2012 notes will mature on April 5, 2012; the 2017 notes will mature on April
5,
2017; and the 2027 notes will mature on April 5, 2027. Such notes are
senior, unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of the Company.
In
August
2007, the Company issued $500 million of 5.800% Notes Due 2018 and $2.25 billion
of 6.500% Notes Due 2037. Interest started accruing on the
notes of each series on August 24, 2007. The Company will pay
interest on the notes of each series on February 15 and August 15 of each year,
beginning on February 15, 2008. The 2018 notes will mature on
February 15, 2018, and the 2037 notes will mature on August 15,
2037. Such notes are senior, unsecured and unsubordinated obligations
of the Company.
Additionally,
the Company repaid $6.7 billion in principal for certain notes that matured
during the first nine months of fiscal 2008.
14
Working
Capital
Current
liabilities exceeded current assets at October 31, 2007 by $9.4 billion, an
increase of $4.3 billion from January 31, 2007. The ratio of our current assets
to our current liabilities was 0.8 at October 31, 2007, and 0.9 at October
31, 2006 and January 31, 2007. We generally have a working capital
deficit due to our efficient use of cash in funding operations and in providing
returns to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends.
Company
Share Repurchase Program and Common Stock
Dividends
From
time
to time, we have repurchased shares of our common stock under a $10 billion
share repurchase program authorized by our Board of Directors in September
2004.
Through May 31, 2007, we repurchased 23.8 million shares of our common stock
having an aggregate purchase price of $1.1 billion under this
program. No shares of our common stock were repurchased under this
program in the first nine months of fiscal 2007.
On
May
31, 2007, the Board of Directors replaced the $10 billion share repurchase
program, which had $3.3 billion of remaining authorization for share
repurchases, with a new $15 billion share repurchase program announced on June
1, 2007. Under the new share repurchase program, there is no
expiration date or other restriction limiting the period over which we can
make
our share repurchases under the new program, which will expire only when and
if
we have repurchased $15 billion of our shares under the
program. Under the new program and prior programs, repurchased shares
are constructively retired and returned to unissued status. We consider several
factors in determining when to execute the share repurchases, including among
other things, our current cash needs, our capacity for leverage, our cost of
borrowings and the market price of our common stock. Through October
31, 2007, we repurchased 91.2 million shares of our common stock having an
aggregate purchase price of $4.2 billion under this new
program. At October 31, 2007, approximately $10.8 billion
remained of the $15 billion authorization.
On
March
8, 2007, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase in the Company’s
annual dividend to $0.88 per share. The annual dividend is payable in four
quarterly installments on April 2, 2007, June 4, 2007, September 4, 2007, and
January 2, 2008 to holders of record on March 16, May 18, August 17 and December
14, 2007, respectively. A $0.67 per share annual dividend was
declared in the first quarter of fiscal 2007 and paid in four equal quarterly
installments.
Capital
Resources
If
our
operating cash flows are not sufficient to pay increased dividends and to fund
our capital expenditures, we anticipate funding any shortfall in the cash flows
needed for these expenditures with a combination of commercial paper and
long-term debt. We plan to refinance existing long-term debt as it matures
and
may desire to obtain additional long-term financing for other corporate
purposes. We anticipate no difficulty in obtaining long-term financing in view
of our credit rating and favorable experiences in the debt market in the recent
past.
To
monitor our credit rating and our capacity for long-term financing, we consider
various qualitative and quantitative factors. We use the ratio of
adjusted cash flow from operations to adjusted average debt as one leverage
metric. This metric was 36% for the trailing twelve months ending
October 31, 2007 and lower than the 43% for our fiscal year 2007. The
decrease in the metric is due to the decrease in our cash flows from operating
activities of continuing operations as discussed above and higher borrowing
levels. A detailed calculation of the adjusted cash flow from
operations to adjusted average debt is set forth in Exhibit 12.2 along with
a
reconciliation to the corresponding measurement calculated in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles.
We
also
monitor the ratio of our debt to our total capitalization as additional support
for our long-term financing decisions. At October 31, 2007, October
31, 2006 and January 31, 2007, the ratio of our debt to total capitalization
was
approximately 42.9%, 41.4% and 38.8%, respectively. For the purpose
of this calculation, debt is defined as the sum of commercial paper, total
long-term debt and total capital lease obligations. Total
capitalization is defined as debt plus shareholders' equity.
Return
on Investment
Management
believes return on investment (“ROI”) is a meaningful metric to share with
investors because it helps assess how efficiently Wal-Mart is employing its
assets. ROI was 19.1% for the trailing twelve months ending October
31, 2007, and 19.9% for the trailing twelve months ending October 31,
2006. The decrease in ROI is due to our adjusted operating income
growing at a slower rate than our invested capital and limited earnings
attributable to the acquisitions of The Seiyu, Ltd., Central American Retail
Holding Company, Sonae Distribuição Brasil S.A., and BCL. A detailed
calculation of ROI is set forth in Exhibit 12.3 along with a reconciliation
to
the corresponding measurement calculated in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles.
15
Future
Expansion
On
October 23, 2007, the Company announced its plans to moderate capital investment
for U.S. supercenters. This moderation in capital investment results in a growth
program of 195 new U.S. supercenters (with relocations, conversions or
expansions accounting for approximately 110 of those supercenters) during this
fiscal year and approximately 170 and 140 supercenters in fiscal 2009 and 2010,
respectively. This strategy does not affect the capital investment
plans for the Company's Sam's Club or International
operations. Previously in October 2006, the Company had announced
that its fiscal year 2008 growth plans included 265 to 270 new supercenters
(with relocations, conversions or expansions accounting for approximately 145
of
those supercenters). We will continue to review our expansion
strategy at least annually. Capital expenditures for fiscal 2008 are
now expected to be approximately $15 billion, down from $15.7 billion in capital
expenditures made in our last fiscal year. We still plan to fund these capital
expenditures during fiscal 2008 primarily with cash flows from
operations.
Item
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market
Risk
Market
Risk
Market
risks relating to our operations result primarily from changes in interest
rates
and changes in currency exchange rates. Our market risks at October 31,
2007 are similar to those disclosed in our Form 10-K for the year ended January
31, 2007.
The
information concerning market risk under the sub-caption “Market Risk” under the
caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations” on page 36 of the Annual Report to Shareholders for the year
ended January 31, 2007 that is an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for
the year ended January 31, 2007, is hereby incorporated by reference into this
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Item
4. Controls and Procedures
We
maintain a system of disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to
provide reasonable assurance that information, which is required to be timely
disclosed, is accumulated and communicated to management in a timely
fashion. In designing and evaluating such controls and procedures, we
recognize that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and
operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control
objectives. Our management is necessarily required to use judgment in evaluating
controls and procedures. Also, we have had investments in certain unconsolidated
entities. Because we did not control or manage those entities, our controls
and
procedures with respect to those entities were substantially more limited than
those we maintain with respect to our consolidated subsidiaries.
In
the
ordinary course of business, we review our system of internal control over
financial reporting and make changes to our systems and processes to improve
controls and increase efficiency, while ensuring that we maintain an effective
internal control environment. Changes may include such activities as
implementing new, more efficient systems and automating manual
processes.
An
evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure
controls and procedures was performed as of the end of the period covered by
this report. This evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the
participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer
and
Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls are effective
to
provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the
Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely
decisions regarding required disclosure and are effective to provide reasonable
assurance that such information is recorded, processed, summarized and reported
within the time periods specified by the SEC’s rules and forms.
In
September 2007, the Company implemented a new accounting system for U.S.
property and equipment and property under capital leases. We expect
the new system to enhance efficiency and controls. Except for this
control enhancement, there have been no other changes in our internal control
over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter covered by this report
that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect,
our internal control over financial reporting.
16
PART
II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal Proceedings
I.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: We discuss certain legal proceedings pending
against us in Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q under the caption
“Item 1. Financial Statements,” in Note 11 to our condensed consolidated
financial statements, which is captioned “Legal Proceedings,” and refer you to
that discussion for important information concerning those legal proceedings,
including the basis for such actions and, where known, the relief sought. We
provide the following additional information concerning those legal proceedings
which sets forth the name of the lawsuit, the court in which the lawsuit is
pending and the date on which the petition commencing the lawsuit was filed.
In
each lawsuit's name, the letters “WM” refer to Wal-Mart Stores,
Inc.
Wage
and Hour “Off the Clock” Class Actions:Adcox v. WM, US Dist.
Ct. (“USDC”), Southern Dist. of TX, 11/9/04; Alix (f/k/a Gamble) v. WM,
Supreme Ct. of the State of NY, County of Albany, 12/7/01; Armijo v.
WM, 1st Judicial Dist. Ct., Rio Arriba County, NM, 9/18/00; Bailey v.
WM, Marion County Superior Ct. IN, 8/17/00; Ballard v.
WM, Superior Ct. of CA, Los Angeles, County, 5/17/06;
Barnett v. WM, Superior Ct. of WA, King County, 9/10/01; Basco v.
WM, USDC, Eastern Dist. of LA, 9/5/00; Bayardo v. WM, USDC, Dist.
of NV, 3/19/07; Blackstock v. WM, State Ct. of Chatham County, GA,
4/27/06; Braun v. WM, 1st Judicial Dist. Ct. Dakota County MN, 9/12/01;
Braun/Hummel v. WM, Ct. of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, PA,
3/20/02 / 8/30/04; Brogan v. WM, Superior Ct. of NH, Strafford County,
2/17/05; Brogan v. WM, USDC, Southern Dist. of WV, 4/3/07; Brown v.
WM, 14th Judicial Circuit Ct., Rock Island, IL, 6/20/01; Brown v.
WM, USDC, Eastern Dist. of NY, 4/5/07; Campbell v. WM, USDC, Dist.
of NV, 9/20/06; Carter v. WM, Ct. of Common Pleas, Colleton
County, SC, 7/31/02; Cole v. WM, USDC, Dist. of MT, Central
Div., 1/13/06; Connatser v. WM, USDC, Western Dist. of TN, 4/4/07;
Curless v. WM, USDC, Dist. of WY, 10/26/05; Deas v.
WM, USDC, Eastern Dist. of VA, 4/3/06; Evans v. WM,
USDC, Dist. of SC, 01/9/07; Gilles v. WM, USDC,
Southern Dist. of IN, 3/31/06; Green v. WM, USDC, S. Dist. of FL,
11/6/06; Grey v. WM, USDC, Dist. of KS, 7/14/06; Gross
v. WM, Circuit Ct., Laurel County, KY, 9/29/04; Hale v. WM,
Circuit Ct., Jackson County, MO, 8/15/01; Hall v. WM, USDC, Dist. of
NV, 8/12/05; Henderson v. WM, USDC, Dist. of NV, 12/6/06; Hicks v.
WM, USDC, Eastern Dist. of TX, 4/3/07; Hiebert v.
WM, Superior Ct. of WA, Pierce County, 7/24/06; Holcomb v.
WM, State Ct. of Chatham County, GA, 3/28/00; Husidic v. WM, USDC,
Southern Dist. of IA, 9/14/06; Iliadis v. WM, Superior Ct. of NJ,
Middlesex County, 5/30/02; Jackson v. WM, Superior Ct. of DE, New
Castle County, 4/4/05; Jackson v. WM, USDC, Dist. of ID, 2/3/06;
King v. WM, USDC, Eastern Dist. of PA, 4/13/07; Kraemer v. WM,
USDC, Dist. of ND, 11/15/06; Kuhlmann v. WM, Circuit Ct.,
Milwaukee County, WI, 8/30/01; Lerma v. WM, Dist. Ct., Cleveland
County, OK, 8/31/01; Lopez v. WM, 23rd Judicial Dist. Ct. of Brazoria
County, TX, 6/23/00; Luce v. WM, Circuit Ct., Brown County, SD,
5/11/05; Mathies v. WM, USDC, Dist. of OR, 3/30/07; McFarlin v.
WM, Superior Ct. of AK at Anchorage, 4/7/05; Melson v. WM, USDC,
Northern Dist. of AL, 6/26/07; Montgomery v. WM, USDC, Southern Dist.
of MS, 12/30/02; Moore v. WM, Circuit Ct. of OR, Multnomah
County, 12/7/05; Mussman v. WM, IA Dist. Ct., Clinton County, 6/5/01;
Nagy v. WM, Circuit Ct. of Boyd County, KY, 8/29/01; Newland v.
WM, Superior Ct. of CA, Alameda County, CA, 01/14/05; Nolan v. WM,
USDC, Northern Dist. of OH, Eastern Div., 4/4/06; Olinger v.
WM, USDC, Eastern Dist. of MI, 9/14/06; Parrish v. WM, Superior
Ct., Chatham County, GA, 2/17/05; Pedro v. WM, USDC, Dist. of MA,
4/4/07; Penn v. WM, USDC, Eastern Dist. of LA, 9/15/06; Phelps v.
WM, USDC, Southern Dist. of IL, 4/4/07; Pickett v. WM, Circuit
Court, Shelby County, TN, 10/22/03; Poha v. WM, USDC, Dist. of HI,
11/1/05; Pritchett v. WM, Circuit Ct. of Jefferson County, AL, 2/17/05;
Richardson v. WM, USDC, Dist. of NV, 4/4/07; Robinson v. WM,
Circuit Ct., Holmes County, MS, 12/30/02; Robinson v. WM, USDC,
Southern Dist. of MS, 3/5/07; Romero v. WM, Superior Ct. of CA,
Monterey County, 03/25/04; Sago v. WM, Circuit Ct., Holmes County, MS,
12/31/02; Salvas v. WM, Superior Ct., Middlesex County, MA, 8/21/01;
Sarda v. WM, Circuit Ct., Washington County, FL, 9/21/01; Savaglio
v. WM, Superior Ct. of CA, Alameda County, 2/6/01; Scott v. WM,
Circuit Ct. of Saginaw County, MI, 9/26/01; Smith v. WM, USDC, Northern
Dist. of CA, 3/20/06; Smith v. WM, Circuit Ct., Holmes County, MS,
12/31/02; Smith v. WM, USDC, Western Dist. of WI, 4/2/07; Stafford
v. WM, USDC, Dist. of NE, 12/8/05; Whitacre v. WM,
USDC, Dist. of NV, 6/15/07; Willey v. WM, Dist. Ct. of Wyandotte
County, KS, 9/21/01; Williams v. WM, Superior Ct. of CA, Alameda
County, 3/23/04; Williams v. WM, USDC, Dist of UT, Central Div.,
1/20/06; Williams v. WM, USDC, Western Dist. of NC, 3/23/06;
Winters v. WM, Circuit Ct., Holmes County, MS, 5/28/02; Woods v.
WM, USDC, Dist. of ME, 1/12/06; Works v. WM, Circuit
Ct., Miller County, AR, 5/18/05.
Exempt
Status Cases:Salvador v. WM and Sam’s West, Inc., USDC,
Central Dist. of CA, Western Div., 12/22/05; Sepulveda v. WM, USDC,
Central Dist. of CA, Western Div., 1/14/04.
Gender
Discrimination Cases: Dukes v. WM, USDC, Northern Dist. of CA,
San Francisco Div., 6/19/01; 9th Circuit Ct. of Appeals, San Francisco, CA,
8/26/04; EEOC (Smith) v. WM, USDC, Eastern Dist. of KY, London Div.,
8/31/01.
II.
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS: Item 103 of SEC Regulation S-K requires
disclosure of certain environmental matters. The following matters are disclosed
in accordance with that requirement:
The
District
Attorney for Solano County, California, has alleged that the Company's store
in
Vacaville, California, failed to comply with certain California statutes
regulating hazardous waste and hazardous materials handling practices.
Specifically, the County is alleging that the Company improperly disposed of
a
limited amount of damaged or returned product containing dry granular fertilizer
and pesticides on or about April 3, 2002. The parties are currently negotiating
toward a resolution of this matter.
The
District
Attorney for Orange County, California, has alleged that the Company's store
in
Foothill Ranch, California, failed to comply with certain California statutes
regulating hazardous waste and hazardous materials handling practices.
Specifically, the County is alleging that the Company improperly disposed of
a
limited amount of damaged product containing dry granular pesticide on or about
January 24, 2005. The parties are currently negotiating toward a resolution
of
this matter.
The
Company
has resolved the issues identified in a Notice of Violation issued by the
California Air Resources Board ("CARB") alleging that the Company sold portable
fuel containers and spouts in California which were not compliant with
California's Portable Fuel Containers and Spouts regulations. CARB alleged
that
in June 2006, the Company offered for sale various non-compliant 5-gallon
portable fuel containers. The Company conducted its own research and
discovered possible sales of additional items between 2002 and 2006 which may
not have been compliant with the regulations. The Company voluntarily
reported this additional information to CARB. The parties have
negotiated a settlement agreement that requires the payment by the Company
of a
$250,000 penalty.
The
EPA
approached a grocery industry group to resolve issues relating to
refrigerant-handling practices and to reduce the use of ozone-depleting
refrigerants in refrigeration equipment. The Company then approached
the EPA independently to address these issues, and proposed a plan for removing
ozone-depleting refrigerants from certain types of refrigeration
equipment. The parties are currently negotiating a resolution of this
matter.
On
February
1, 2007, the Company received from the EPA a request pursuant to Section 114(a)
of the Federal Clean Air Act seeking detailed information regarding all
non-essential products containing ozone-depleting substances including products
such as Loony String which the Company may have sold or distributed since
January 1, 2002. On March 8, 2007, the EPA issued a revised request
for information in which it limited its request to string products including
Loony String, Silly String and Fiesta String, and covering the period from
2004
to the present. The Company submitted an initial response to the EPA
on May 8, 2007, and is continuing to gather the requested
information. The Company is cooperating fully with the EPA regarding
this matter.
In
January
2007, Wal-Mart Puerto Rico, Inc. became aware that the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (“USACE”) was concerned about alleged violations of a permit issued by
that agency in 2003, for the fill of 0.23 acres of a creek and its contiguous
wetlands during the construction of the Wal-Mart Store in Caguas, Puerto Rico.
On January 19, 2007, Wal-Mart Puerto Rico responded to these issues in writing.
On January 25, 2007, the USACE issued a formal Notice of Non-Compliance to
Wal-Mart Puerto Rico regarding this matter. Wal-Mart Puerto Rico filed a formal
response and is currently implementing mitigation measures and working with
the
agency to resolve the matter.
On
November
8, 2005, the Company received a grand jury subpoena from the United States
Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, seeking documents
and
information relating to the Company's receipt, transportation, handling,
identification, recycling, treatment, storage and disposal of certain
merchandise that constitutes hazardous materials or hazardous waste. The Company
has been informed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of
California that it is a target of a criminal investigation into potential
violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), the Clean
Water Act, and the Hazardous Materials Transportation Statute. This U.S.
Attorney's Office contends, among other things, that the use of Company trucks
to transport certain returned merchandise from the Company's stores to its
return centers is prohibited by RCRA because those materials may be considered
hazardous waste. The government alleges that, to comply with RCRA, the Company
must ship from the store certain materials as “hazardous waste” directly to a
certified disposal facility using a certified hazardous waste carrier. The
Company contends that the practice of transporting returned merchandise to
its
return centers for subsequent disposition, including disposal by certified
facilities, is compliant with applicable laws and regulations. While management
cannot predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, management does not believe
the outcome will have a material effect on the Company’s financial condition or
results of operations.
Additionally,
the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of California has initiated
its own investigation regarding the Company's handling of hazardous materials
and hazardous waste and the Company has received administrative document
requests from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control requesting
documents and information with respect to two of the Company's distribution
facilities. Further, the Company also received a subpoena from the Los Angeles
County District Attorney's Office for documents and administrative
interrogatories requesting information, among other things, regarding the
Company's handling of materials and hazardous waste. California state and local
government authorities and the State of Nevada have also initiated
investigations into these matters. The Company is cooperating fully with the
respective authorities. While management cannot predict the ultimate outcome
of
this matter, management does not believe the outcome will have a material effect
on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.
17
Item
1A. Risk Factors
The
risks
described in Item 1A, Risk Factors, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended January 31, 2007, could materially and adversely affect our business,
financial condition and results of operations. The risk factors discussed in
that Form 10-K and in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q do not identify all
risks that we face because our business operations could also be affected by
additional factors that are not presently known to us or that we currently
consider to be immaterial to our operations.
Item
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds
Share
repurchase activity for the third quarter of fiscal 2008 was as
follows:
|
|
|
Total
|
Approximate
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
Number
of
|
Dollar Value of
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
Shares
|
Shares
that
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
Purchased
|
May Yet
Be
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
as
Part of
|
Purchased
|
||||||||||||
|
Total
|
|
Publicly
|
Under the
|
||||||||||||
|
Number
of
|
Average
|
Announced
|
Plans or
|
||||||||||||
|
Shares
|
Price Paid
|
Plans
or
|
Programs
|
||||||||||||
Fiscal
Period
|
Purchased
|
per Share
|
Programs
|
(billions)
|
||||||||||||
August
1-31, 2007 (1)
|
20,095,500
|
$ |
44.75
|
20,095,500
|
$ |
12.7
|
||||||||||
September
1-30, 2007 (1)
|
21,825,000
|
$ |
43.41
|
21,825,000
|
$ |
11.8
|
||||||||||
October
1-31, 2007 (1)
|
21,170,344
|
$ |
45.16
|
21,170,344
|
$ |
10.8
|
||||||||||
Total
|
63,090,844
|
63,090,844
|
$ |
10.8
|
(1)
|
Purchased
pursuant to the $15 billion share repurchase program authorized by
our
Board of Directors on May 31, 2007 and publicly announced on June
1,
2007. The 2007 share repurchase program does not have any
expiration date.
|
Item
5. Other Information
This
Quarterly Report contains statements that Wal-Mart believes are “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995, and intended to enjoy the protection of the safe harbor for
forward-looking statements provided by that Act. These forward-looking
statements include a statement in Note 10 to our condensed consolidated
financial statements regarding the forecasted full year tax rate for our fiscal
year 2008 and possible reductions in unrecognized tax benefits, a statement
in
Note 12 to our condensed consolidated financial statements regarding the
expected impact of our adoption of SFAS 157 on our financial condition and
results of operations, statements under the subcaption “Capital Resources” under
the caption “Liquidity and Capital Resources” in Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations regarding our intent
and ability to fund, to the extent operating cash flow is insufficient, the
dividends we pay and capital expenditures we make by the sale of commercial
paper and long-term debt securities, our plans to refinance existing long-term
debt as it matures and our ability to sell our long-term debt securities and
statements under the subcaption “Future Expansion” under the caption “Liquidity
and Capital Resources” in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations regarding a description of our revised
U.S.
supercenter growth strategy and capital expenditure plan and the funding of
that
plan. These statements are identified by the use of the words “anticipate,”
“could potentially reduce,” “expected,” “expects,” “plan,” “result” or a
variation of one of those words in those statements or by the use of words
or
phrases of similar import. These forward-looking statements are subject to
risks, uncertainties and other factors, domestically and internationally,
including the cost of goods, competitive pressures, inflation, consumer spending
patterns and debt levels, currency exchange fluctuations, trade restrictions,
changes in tariff and freight rates, fluctuations in the costs of gasoline,
diesel fuel and other energy, transportation, utilities, labor and health care,
accident costs, casualty and other insurance costs, construction costs, factors
limiting our ability to construct, expand or relocate stores, interest rate
fluctuations, capital market conditions, geopolitical conditions, weather
conditions, storm-related damage to our facilities, regulatory matters and
other
risks. We discuss certain of these matters more fully, as well as certain
risk factors that may affect our business operations, financial condition and
results of operations, in Part II, Item 1A, of this Quarterly Report and in
other of our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for
the year ended January 31, 2007. This Quarterly Report should be read in
conjunction with that Annual Report on Form 10-K, and all our other filings,
including Current Reports on Form 8-K, made with the SEC through the date of
this report. We urge you to consider all of these risks, uncertainties and
other
factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in
this
Quarterly Report. As a result of these matters, including changes in facts
or
other factors, the actual results relating to the subject matter of any
forward-looking statement in this Quarterly Report may differ materially from
the anticipated results expressed or implied in that forward-looking statement.
The forward-looking statements included in this Quarterly Report are made only
as of the date of this report and we undertake no obligation to update these
forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or
circumstances.
18
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
WAL-MART
STORES, INC.
|
|||
Date: November
29, 2007
|
By:
|
/s/
H. Lee Scott, Jr.
|
|
H.
Lee Scott, Jr.
President
and
Chief
Executive Officer
|
|||
Date: November
29, 2007
|
By:
|
/s/
Thomas M. Schoewe
|
|
Thomas
M. Schoewe
Executive
Vice President and
Chief
Financial Officer
|
|||
Date: November
29, 2007
|
By:
|
/s/
Steven P. Whaley
|
|
Steven
P. Whaley
Senior
Vice President and Controller
(Principal
Accounting Officer)
|
19
Index
to Exhibits
Exhibit
Number
|
Description
of Document
|
3(i)
|
Restated
Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, is incorporated herein
by
reference to Exhibit 3(a) to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the
Company
for the year ended January 31, 1989 (which document may be found
and
reviewed in the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Room
1580, Washington, D.C. 20549, in the files therein relating to the
Company, whose SEC file number is No. 1-6991), the Certificate of
Amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation is incorporated
herein by reference to Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File Number
33-43315) and the Certificate of Amendment to the Restated Certificate
of
Incorporation is incorporated hereby by reference to the Current
Report on
Form 8-K of the Company, dated August 11, 1999 (which document may be
found and reviewed in the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE,
Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549, in the files therein relating
to the
Company, whose SEC file number is No. 1-6991).
|
3(ii)
|
Amended
and Restated Bylaws of the Company are incorporated herein by reference
to
Exhibit 3.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated
March
8, 2005.
|
12.1*
|
Ratio
of Earnings to Fixed Charges
|
12.2*
|
Ratio
of Adjusted Cash Flow from Operations to Adjusted Average
Debt
|
12.3*
|
Return
on Investment and Return on Average Assets
|
31.1*
|
Chief
Executive Officer Section 302 Certification
|
31.2*
|
Chief
Financial Officer Section 302 Certification
|
32.1**
|
Chief
Executive Officer Section 906 Certification
|
32.2**
|
Chief
Financial Officer Section 906 Certification
|
99
|
The
information incorporated by reference in Part I, Item 3 of this
Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q is incorporated by reference to the material
set forth
under the sub-caption “Market Risk” in Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, which
is
contained in Exhibit 13 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended January 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and
Exchange
Commission.
|
*
|
Filed
herewith as an
Exhibit.
|
**
|
Furnished
herewith as an
Exhibit.
|