Wal-Mart profit slips as U.S. comparable sales fall

[February 20, 2014]  (Reuters) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc on Thursday reported a lower profit for the holiday quarter as comparable sales in the United States declined again.

Wal-Mart said comparable sales at its U.S. stores, its biggest unit, fell 0.4 percent in the fiscal fourth quarter. Overall revenue rose 1.4 percent to $129.7 billion.

The world's largest retailer earned $1.60 per share excluding items, down from $1.67 a year earlier.

It expects a profit of $5.10 to $5.45 per share this year.

(Reporting by Phil Wahba in New York; editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

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