The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Amazon, Walmart, Big Lots, Kroger, Costco and Shopify

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – July 10, 2020 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Amazon AMZN, Walmart WMT, Big Lots BIG, Kroger KR, Costco COST and Shopify SHOP.

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Is Amazon's Dominance Under Threat from Walmart & Others?

The coronavirus hit-world has been a boon for the online retail market, which has been gaining from the scenario with seamless and fast delivery of essentials and groceries becoming an integral part of the new normal as people refrain from stepping outside their homes on fears of contracting the deadly virus.

Spike in the online orders continues with apprehensions of a second wave of COVID-19 taking hold. This is abundantly clear from the solid performance of the e-commerce giant Amazon, which has been witnessing overflowing orders since the onset of the pandemic.

Moreover, the social distancing protocol and stay-at-home restrictions, which have significantly hurt the sales of brick-and-mortar stores, have actually accelerated sales of Amazon, which carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

However, traditional retailers including Walmart, Big Lots, Kroger and Costco are also leaving no stone unturned to capitalize on the immense growth opportunities present in the online retail space.

Per a report from eMarketer, the e-commerce sales in the United States are expected to hit $709.78 billion in 2020 by exhibiting growth of 18%, which is up from the prior projection of 13%.

These retailers are making every effort to enhance competitive prowess against Amazon, which has been a dominant force in the space on the back of its Prime enabled ultra-fast same-day delivery, one-day shipping and pick-up services.

Moreover, the retailers are trying all means to expand their delivery capabilities to grab a share in this promising e-commerce market.

Walmart Challenges Amazon’s Dominance

Walmart, which has been expanding its e-commerce capabilities and same-day delivery capacity, witnesses more than 120 million American monthly visitors on its shopping site — Walmart.com. Hence, the company is a frontrunner when it comes to challenging Amazon’s dominance.

The company’s latest subscription-based service namely Walmart+ has the potential to challenge Amazon’s winning strategy. Notably, Walmart+ costing $98 per year subscription is likely to be launched in the later part of this month.

The latest service will pose direct competition to Amazon Prime. The service will comprise the most important member benefit— same-day delivery of groceries and general merchandise.

Other perks of Walmart+ subscription include early access to product deals and discounts on fuel at Walmart gas stations. Also, it will allow people to check out from Walmart stores without waiting in the queue via the company’s Scan & Go service. Further, the retailer has plans to roll out a Walmart+ credit card later on.

Further, Walmart reportedly intends to bring video entertainment features to its latest program.

We believe the company, which carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), is expected to gain traction among customers on the back of the underlined service. Moreover, the service is cheaper compared to Prime subscription that costs$119 annually. This is likely to provide Walmart a further competitive edge against Amazon.

Apart from Walmart+, the introduction of Express Delivery service that promises to deliver orders in less than two hours remains noteworthy. Notably, the service allows customers to order above 160,000 products from Walmart’s food, consumables and general merchandise categories.

Additionally, the company’s recent tie-up with Shopify remains a positive. Per the deal, both the companies introduced a channel to enable Shopify merchants to offer products on Walmart.com. This deal is likely to expand Walmart’s growth avenues in the e-commerce space.

Other Retailers in Fray

Efforts put in by other retailers like Kroger, Costco and Big Lots to up their pickup and delivery game in a bid to strengthen e-commerce presence are hard to ignore amid this pandemic scenario.

Costco is gaining on its same-day prescription Rx delivery service. Notably, this service is available from 200 Costco locations. Apart from this, the two-day online grocery delivery and Instacart same-day delivery service offered by this Zacks Rank #3 company, remains noteworthy.

Meanwhile, Big Lots has joined forces with Instacart recently. The deal aims at providing same-day delivery service from nearly 1,400 Big Lots stores across 47 states in the United States.

Currently, Big Lots sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Kroger is riding on grocery delivery service — Kroger Ship. Further, its partnership with Ocado, online grocery delivery firm, remains a major positive. Also, this Zacks Rank #1 company’s tie-up with Instacart is driving its online delivery game.

Amazon’s Status

Despite growing initiatives by the traditional retailers, Amazon’s solid Prime momentum continues to aid its dominant position in the online retail space.

Prime Free One Day service, AmazonFresh and expanding two-hour delivery service of natural and organic products such as meat and seafood, fresh produce and staples from Whole Foods Market are driving customer momentum.

Also, expanding Prime Video content with growing investments on original content remains encouraging for Prime membership.

Notably, Prime member base currently stands above 150 million users.

Further, the company has been spending heavily to expand fulfilment center network and build delivery stations, primarily to cut shipping costs and accelerate delivery. These initiatives remain commendable.

Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020

In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2020?

Last year's 2019 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +102.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys.

Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 today >>

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

support@zacks.com

https://www.zacks.com

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Click to get this free report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Walmart Inc. (WMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Big Lots, Inc. (BIG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Kroger Co. (KR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Shopify Inc. (SHOP) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research