Wal-Mart September sales miss view; keeps forecast

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) reported a slightly lower-than-expected 2.4 percent rise in September sales at U.S. stores open at least a year on Wednesday, but kept its forecast for third-quarter earnings.

Wal-Mart has attracted cash-strapped consumers as a U.S. housing slump and credit crunch takes a toll on household budgets.

The company said its September performance was boosted by sales of food and medicine, which helped offset store closures due to hurricanes that hit the United States in the month.

"In spite of both the impact from the hurricanes and the recent challenges to consumer confidence as a result of the economic environment, Walmart U.S. had another period of solid comparable store sales performance," said Eduardo Castro-Wright, Walmart U.S. president and chief executive.

Wal-Mart's shares rose 1.3 percent in premarket trading.

The world's largest retailer said sales at its U.S. stores open at least a year rose 2.4 percent in September.

Analysts, on average, were expecting the company's same-store sales to rise 2.5 percent, according to Thomson Reuters Estimates, while the company had forecast a gain of 2 percent to 3 percent.

Including fuel sales, Wal-Mart said September same-store sales rose 2.8 percent.

Same-store sales for the five weeks that ended October 3 rose 2 percent at Wal-Mart's namesake discount stores, while they rose 4.6 percent at its Sam's Club warehouse division.

Wal-Mart said it still expects third-quarter earnings from continuing operations to range from 73 cents to 76 cents per share. It expects October U.S. same-store sales to rise 1 percent to 2 percent.

(Reporting by Martinne Geller, editing by Maureen Bavdek)