Walmart Inc. shares surged 6.2% early Aug. 15 after the retailer boosted in fiscal 2020 guidance and reported fiscal second-quarter adjusted EPS that exceeded analysts' expectations, driven by growth in its U.S. business.

For fiscal 2020, the retailer now expects adjusted EPS to range between a slight decrease and a slight increase, compared to its previous expectation of a decline by a low single-digit percentage range. Comparable sales in the U.S. are still expected to grow between 2.5% to 3%, while e-commerce sales in the U.S. are still projected to grow about 35%.

The retailer reported that adjusted EPS for the quarter ended July 31 was $1.27, down from $1.29 in the year-ago period but beating the mean consensus estimate for normalized EPS of $1.22, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The retailer's adjusted EPS excludes an unrealized loss, net of tax, of 1 cent on the company's equity investment in Chinese e-commerce company JD.com Inc.

For the second quarter, total revenue rose 1.8% to $130.4 billion from $128.0 billion in the year-earlier quarter, while consolidated net income jumped to $3.68 billion from a $727 million consolidated net loss in the year-ago period.

Comparable sales in the U.S. grew 2.8% in the year-ago period, while net sales for the international business fell 1.1% to $29.1 billion from $29.5 billion in the year-earlier quarter.

Walmart said its U.S. e-commerce sales rose 37% driven by strong growth in its online grocery business. The company also reported growing its grocery delivery footprint to 1,100 locations with more than 2,700 pickup locations, while NextDay delivery service from Walmart.com now covers about 75% of the U.S. population.

In premarket trading, Walmart's shares were up 6.2% at $112.75.