Walmart CEO Says Gas Prices are "Stress Point" for Consumers. Should You Buy the Stock?

Higher fuel prices from the Iran war have caused pain throughout the global economy. No one likes paying more money at the pump. Higher gasoline and diesel prices raise prices for everyone by driving up costs of business inventory, supplies, delivery, and freight shipping. But higher gas prices hit especially hard for lower-income people. The world's largest retailer, Walmart (WMT +1.04%), could be especially vulnerable to higher gas prices. Its customer base tends to be lower-income households. If Walmart shoppers are forced to burn up more of their hard-earned dollars in their gas tanks, this could reduce their consumer discretionary spending. According to Bloomberg, Walmart CEO John Furner said Wednesday that fuel prices are becoming "the stress point" for U.S. households. Walmart shares have gained about 5% year to date, underperforming the S&P 500 index. Let's see if this retail stock is worth buying, or if investors should steer clear. Image source: Getty Images. Walmart customers are buying less than 10 gallons of gas at a time During the company's most recent quarterly earnings call on May 21, Walmart Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey said that while Walmart's higher-income customers are "spending with confidence," the lower-income customers are "more budget conscious and perhaps navigating financial distress." Rainey also said that "the number of gallons that customers fill up with when they come to our fuel stations fell below 10 for the first time since 2022." This is a sobering stat. It goes to show just how hard some Walmart shoppers are getting hurt by high gas prices -- they're trying to ration their own gasoline. Why Walmart shares have been down since May 21 Walmart stock has declined by about 11% since the company reported earnings on May 21. According to CNBC, the sell-off happened because Walmart's guidance for the rest of its fiscal year 2027 was underwhelming to investors. Today's Change(1.04%) $1.22Current Price$118.96 The company said on May 21 that it expects net sales to increase 3.5% to 4.5% for the year, with expected adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.75 to $2.85 -- lower than expectations of $2.91. Walmart shares are trading at a trailing 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 41.16, which suggests the company is richly valued. Even the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ 4.80%), which tracks the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 index, has a lower P/E ratio (36.30). If Walmart's earnings multiple is higher than that of some major tech stocks, and its expected earnings are disappointing analysts, that's a bad combination. I have previously written that Walmart was trading like a tech stock. But that was in February, right before the Iran war started and gas prices spiked. This company has made valuable efforts to expand into e-commerce and gain market share with higher-income customers. But if gas prices stay high for the rest of 2026, Walmart might be more vulnerable to a sales slowdown than most major retailers. Based on today's high valuation and the lingering uncertainty about gas prices, I wouldn't rate Walmart stock as a buy -- unless you're a patient investor and ready to hold the stock for five years or more.