Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) Shares Surge After Retailer Reports Higher-Than-Expected Quarterly Profit

Shares of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. rallied strongly in premarket trading Thursday after the big retailer reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit as sales in the U.S. market rose and U.S. company kept a lid on costs.

Shares of the retailer, a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, were lately up 9 percent at $69, having closed the prior session 3 percent lower at $63.