Wal-Mart quarterly earnings fall; U.S. sales edge up

(Reuters) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc on Thursday reported a decline in quarterly earnings as it booked a modest increase in sales at existing stores. Net income fell 7.9 percent to $4.57 billion in the fourth quarter ended on Jan. 31 from a year earlier. Excluding special items, earnings of $1.49 per diluted share exceeded the analysts’ average estimate of $1.46, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Wal-Mart said sales at U.S. stores open at least a year rose 0.6 percent, positive for t