Blockchain is the backbone of cryptocurrencies, but the past two years have seen an explosion of use cases for the technology outside of the crypto world. KPMG’s latest “The Pulse of Fintech” report revealed not only increased attention for blockchain-focused companies from investors but also a burgeoning area of interest for those companies – supply chain management.
Now Walmart and their Sam’s Club subsidiary have announced that a blockchain-based food safety system, IBM Food Trust, will soon be implemented with a segment of their dealers. By September 2019, all leafy greens suppliers to the companies will be required to upload their information to the system as part of a real-time tracking initiative.
IBM has worked to develop blockchain solutions for multiple industries in recent years. Until now, supply chains have consisted of multiple manual processes that make tracking issues and specific incidences difficult. Blockchain provides the advantages of digitization, with increased transparency that would make it significantly easier to track issues, like the E. coli outbreak from contaminated romaine lettuce that killed five people earlier this year.
According to TechCrunch, “each node on the blockchain could represent an entity that has handled the food on the way to the store, making it much easier and faster to see if one of the affected farms sold infected supply to a particular location with much greater precision” – speeding up a process that previously took around 7 days to roughly 2.2 seconds.
IBM Food Trust was developed with the understanding that each party on the supply chain might have a different way of uploading information the blockchain, “from paper to Excel spreadsheets to sophisticated ERP systems.” Walmart spokeswoman Molly Blakeman told TechCrunch that suppliers don’t need to have an expert-level understanding of blockchain – they simply need to know how to get their data onto the application. “IBM will offer an onboarding system that orients users with the service easily,” said Blakeman, comparing the process to setting up a new iPhone. “Essentially, suppliers will [just] need a smart device and internet to participate,” Blakeman added.
Walmart is not the only major corporation to work with IBM Food Trust, as Nestle, Unilever, Tyson, and more have come on board since 2017. Frank Yiannas, Walmart’s vice president of food safety, called the decision a “smart, technology-supported move that will greatly benefit [Walmart’s] customers and transform the food system, benefitting all stakeholders.” A world where infected food can be intercepted well before it reaches consumers is here, as blockchain has yet again made good on some of its promise for real-world applications.
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WMT saw its Momentum Indicator move above the 0 level on October 15, 2024. This is an indication that the stock could be shifting in to a new upward move. Traders may want to consider buying the stock or buying call options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 85 similar instances where the indicator turned positive. In of the 85 cases, the stock moved higher in the following days. The odds of a move higher are at .
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where WMT advanced for three days, in of 335 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In of 347 cases where WMT Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are .
The 10-day RSI Indicator for WMT moved out of overbought territory on September 26, 2024. This could be a bearish sign for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 53 similar instances where the indicator moved out of overbought territory. In of the 53 cases, the stock moved lower in the following days. This puts the odds of a move lower at .
The Stochastic Oscillator entered the overbought zone. Expect a price pull-back in the foreseeable future.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence Histogram (MACD) for WMT turned negative on September 18, 2024. This could be a sign that the stock is set to turn lower in the coming weeks. Traders may want to sell the stock or buy put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 46 similar instances when the indicator turned negative. In of the 46 cases the stock turned lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of success at .
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where WMT declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
WMT broke above its upper Bollinger Band on October 15, 2024. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating low risk on high returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 52, placing this stock better than average.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating outstanding price growth. WMT’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to outstanding earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating slightly weaker than average sales and a marginally profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Seasonality Score of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is fair valued in the industry. The Tickeron Seasonality score describes the variance of predictable price changes around the same period every calendar year. These changes can be tied to a specific month, quarter, holiday or vacation period, as well as a meteorological or growing season.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is significantly overvalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (7.686) is normal, around the industry mean (7.972). WMT has a moderately high P/E Ratio (42.057) as compared to the industry average of (24.061). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (3.234) is also within normal values, averaging (3.039). Dividend Yield (0.010) settles around the average of (0.020) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (0.983) is also within normal values, averaging (1.332).
The average fundamental analysis ratings, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, are as follows
a retail discount department store
Industry DiscountStores