The world’s largest retailer, Walmart is widely seen as a bellwether for the US economy and consumer sentiment. On Thursday, the companyreportedsecond-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street’s expectations, raised its annual sales outlook and revealed a record-breaking tariff refund. That’s because comparable sales growth, a closely watched metric, came in at the lowest level in more than six years, leaving investors concerned that stressed American consumers are running out of steam. Analysts remained bullish, suggesting a buy-the-dip opportunity on shares that don’t always come at such low prices. The retailer also reported a 24% increase in US e-commerce sales and 38% sales growth at its advertising business, a sign of strength at two nascent digital channels whose growth is an essential complement to its core big box store business.