Walmart seen posting higher rev, EPS in results due Thursday

** Walmart Inc WMT.O shares are up 0.4% at $115.69 on Wed, with the retail giant seen posting higher rev and EPS in its qtrly results, due before the bell on Thurs

** The co is expected to post Q2 rev of $186.77 bln, up from $177.40 bln in the yr-ago qtr, and adj EPS of $0.74 vs $0.68 yr-ago, per LSEG

** Investors are likely to focus on consumer spending and growth in its high-margin ad business

** In May, the co maintained a conservative annual forecast, citing pressure on U.S. consumer spending from higher fuel costs

** In July, Walmart said it would cut prices on many summer barbecue favorites, including meat, chips, and soda, following a Truth Social post from President Donald Trump saying the retailer was doing so at his administration's request

** Investors are also keen to hear about Walmart Connect, the co's ad biz

** Wall Street sentiment is bullish with 39 "buy" ratings vs five "hold" ratings and no "sells" ratings on the stock, per LSEG

** For the YTD, WMT shares are up about 4% compared with a roughly 11% gain in the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI in that period