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Showing posts from February, 2013

High-level Comparison of Amazon vs. Wal-Mart

This is a high-level and admittedly simplistic comparison of 2012 financial performance of $AMZN versus $WMT.   Full disclosure: I own $WMT and have for a long time.   I don’t own $AMZN. The numbers are from each company’s earnings release (linked below).    All ratios are calculated from GAAP amounts. Sales: WMT $469.2 bil; +5.0%; an increase of $22.2 bil; AMZN $61.1 bil; +27.1%; an increase of $13.0 bil.   EBIT and EBIT margin: WMT $27.8 bil; 5.92%;   AMZN $0.7 bil; 1.1%. Net income: WMT $17.0 bil +11.1%; AMZN $(0.39) bil. Negative -NM;   ROE: WMT 21.6%; AMZN (0.5)%. (ROE was calculated using two-point average equity: beginning and end of year.) EPS and growth: WMT $5.02 +11.1%; AMZN $(0.09) Negative - NM. PE using trailing EPS and Feb. 23 closing prices: WMT 14.0; AMZN NA.    Market cap to Sales: WMT .50X, AMZN 1.97X. I’m a regular shopper of both firms, frequenting Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart, and ordering regularly from Amazon.   I love Amazon’s smooth and helpful web