The Week Ahead: Walmart, Macy's, and Home Depot Report

Jeremy Glaser: Retail earnings will be a highlight this week. Walmart reports on Thursday. Analyst Zain Akbari believes the firm's wide moat is very much in tact and that they will be able to generate strong returns despite intense competition. With the stock up over 15% in the last three months though, Akbari doesn't see value today.

No-moat Macy's, on the other hand, is facing an uphill battle to fend off competitors, according to Jaimie Katz. The firm has been making some progress in its turnaround, but Katz still expects sales to decline an average of 1% a year over the next five years and for margins to drop as the firm spends on its e-commerce platform and store remodeling. Shares are trading in 2-star territory ahead of its report on Wednesday.

Home Depot has seen robust growth as it benefits from a healthy housing market. We'll see if that trend continues on Tuesday.

Networking giant Cisco has seen been executing well on its strategy to supplement its hardware business with software and services. Analyst Mark Cash thinks the firm will hit its goal of having those latter businesses make up 50% of revenue by fiscal 2020. He sees shares as fully valued today.

Notable economic data releases include the consumer price index, retail sales, and industrial production.

Stay tuned for our take on these stories.