Walmart warns of higher prices as Trump tariffs start to bite

Walmart, the world's largest retailer, will have to start raising prices later this month due to the high cost of tariffs, executives said on Thursday, in a clear signal that U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war is filtering through to the American economy.

As a bellwether of U.S. consumer health, Walmart's explicit statement is also a signpost for how the trade war is affecting companies as Walmart is noted for its ability to manage costs more aggressively than other companies to keep prices low.

Shares fell 2.3% in morning trading after it also declined to provide a profit forecast for the second quarter, even as the company's U.S. comparable sales surpassed expectations in the first quarter.

Net sales rose 2.5% to $165.6 billion, a hair shy of estimates, while same-store sales were up 4.5%. Walmart's quarterly adjusted profit was 61 cents per share, ahead of the analyst consensus for 58 cents per share.

Many U.S. companies have either slashed or pulled their full-year expectations in the wake of the trade war, as consumers stretch their budgets to buy everything from groceries to essentials at cheaper prices. But Walmart's statement will resonate nationwide, as roughly 255 million people shop in its stores and online weekly around the world, and 90% of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a Walmart.

U.S. shoppers will start to see prices rise at the end of May and certainly in June, Walmart's Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey said in a CNBC interview. On a post-earnings call with analysts, he said the retailer would also have to cut back on orders as it considers price elasticity.

As the largest importer of container goods in the United States, Walmart is heavily exposed to tariffs, and even though the United States and China reached a truce that lowered levies for imports on Chinese goods to 30%, that's still a high cost to bear, executives said.

"We're very pleased and appreciative of the progress has been made by the administration to bring tariffs down ... but let me emphasize we still think that's too high," Rainey said on the call, referring to the tariff cuts negotiated over the weekend.

"There are certain items, certain categories of merchandise that we're dependent upon to import from other countries and the prices of those things are likely going to go up, and that's not good for consumers," he added.

Other retailers also said they would be boosting prices. German sandal maker Birkenstock  on Thursday said it plans to raise prices globally to fully offset the impact of the U.S. tariff of 10% on European Union-made goods.

U.S. consumer sentiment ebbed for a fourth straight month in April, signaling watchful purchasing, while the country's GDP contracted for the first time in three years during the first quarter fanning worries of a recession.