Walmart earnings

Thursday, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) will report fourth-quarter earnings before opening bell. A challenging retail environment and recent restructuring are likely to keep Wal-Mart from beating - or even meeting - expectations.

That's just one reason investors should steer clear of Wal-Mart stock.

The retail superstore has missed Wall Street expectations in three of the last eight quarters and averages a 1% stock loss in the week following earnings.

This time around, it is expected to report fourth-quarter earnings per share (EPS) of $1.37 on revenue of $130.55 billion, compared with a profit of $1.67 per share on revenue of $127.92 billion in the same quarter a year ago.