Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) showed up for October same-store sales with a weal report card, posting a virtual flat growth of 0.4% against expectations of 1.1%. Meanwhile, Target (NYSE: TGT) surprised many by posting a increase of 4.1% in same-store sales during the same period.

The question, then, is this: what will Wal-Mart's quarterly results hold next week then the giant reports? Estimates are holding tight at $0.68 EPS, which would represent a 9.33% growth rate from the year-ago quarter. Will that be enough to satisfy the retailer's naysayers if the company can meet it? Hard to tell; the market is anything but logical some weeks (or months). Depends if the full moon is out.

The home furnishings and apparel businesses at the world's largest retailer continue to be a drag on performance, although re-tooling is in progress. That does not happen overnight, of course, so there are challenges in the next few quarters as Wal-Mart either gains a leg up somehow on the competition or settles into some odd comfort zone until mid-2008. Turning the Titanic around to avoid an iceberg is something that takes quite a bit of time, but investors are becoming impatient after half a decade of stock price stagnation.