Walmart to acquire Vizio for $2.3 billion, sales outlook, dividend lift shares

Walmart, forecast fiscal 2025 sales above Wall Street expectations on Tuesday and said it would buy smart TV maker Vizio (VZIO.N), for $2.3 billion. Shares in the U.S. retail giant rose 3 per cent in premarket trading after it also announced its biggest dividend increase in more than a decade.

Walmart proposed to buy Vizio for $11.50 per share, a premium of 47 per cent to the company's closing price of $7.82 as of Feb. 12, the day before reports about deal talks emerged. Vizio shares were up about 15 per cent at $10.96 in premarket trading on Tuesday.

Americans flocked to Walmart's stores to buy its low-priced and discounted products during the holiday season late last year. However, still, high-interest rates and rising rents have raised concerns that consumers will remain constrained and a recovery in spending will be slower than previously expected. The retailer reported a 3.9 per cent rise in comparable sales, excluding fuel, for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31, compared to LSEG estimates of 2.91 per cent. Global e-commerce sales grew 23 per cent.

Fourth quarter adjusted profit came in at $1.80 per share, compared to expectations of $1.65 per share. Walmart said it expects consolidated net sales in fiscal 2025 to grow between 3 per cent and 4 per cent, largely above analysts' expectations of a 3.4 per cent rise. The retailer raised its annual dividend by 9 per cent. "This year’s 9 per cent increase is the largest in over a decade, and a sign of our confidence in our growth potential and cash flow," said John David Rainey, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Walmart Inc.