Walmart Inc. WMT continues to face margin pressure from an unfavorable sales mix as stronger growth in grocery and health-related categories offsets gains from higher-margin discretionary businesses. While the company has improved operational efficiency and expanded digital profit streams, category mix remains a meaningful drag on profitability.

In fourth-quarter fiscal 2026, Walmart’s consolidated gross profit rate increased 13 basis points to 24%, supported by strong inventory management and improved business mix. However, the merchandise category mix partially offset those gains.

The pressure was particularly evident in Walmart U.S., where grocery comparable sales increased in the mid-single digits, and health and wellness comps rose in the high-single digits. In comparison, general merchandise delivered only low single-digit growth. Since grocery and pharmacy-related categories typically generate lower margins than discretionary merchandise, the stronger contribution from staples created an unfavorable mix impact.

Walmart also stated that grocery and health and wellness sales outgrew general merchandise, limiting the margin benefit from higher-margin businesses such as advertising and membership income. The company continued to emphasize value pricing and rollbacks in grocery categories to support traffic and unit growth, reinforcing the shift toward lower-margin sales categories.

There were some encouraging signs within discretionary categories. Fashion and hardlines remained relatively strong, while marketplace categories, including fashion, home decor and cook-and-dine, recorded robust growth. Private-brand penetration also improved during the period.

Nonetheless, the broader issue remains unchanged. Walmart’s improving e-commerce economics, advertising growth and operational discipline are helping profitability, but category mix continues to act as a key margin headwind. Unless discretionary categories accelerate meaningfully, staple-led growth could continue to limit the pace of margin expansion.

What Do the Latest Metrics Say About Walmart?

Walmart, which competes with Costco Wholesale Corporation COST and Target Corporation TGT, has seen its shares rally 34.8% over the past year compared with the industry’s 32.1% growth. Shares of Costco have dipped 0.7%, while Target has gained 23.9% in the aforementioned period.

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From a valuation standpoint, Walmart’s forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio stands at 43.66, higher than the industry’s 39.45. The company is trading at a premium to Target (with a forward 12-month P/E ratio of 15.38) while trading at a discount to Costco (32.36).