Wal-Mart Stores Inc won over shoppers during the holiday season, with its Walmart U.S. division posting a 1.5 percent rise in sales at stores open at least a year.

The world's largest retailer earned $1.51 per share from continuing operations. It had forecast fourth-quarter earnings of $1.42 to $1.48 per share from continuing operations.

Wal-Mart expects same-store sales at the Walmart chain in the United States to be flat to up 2 percent, compared with a 1.8 percent drop a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected a rise of 1.8 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Wal-Mart shares were down $1.06 at $61.42 in premarket trading, from Friday's close of $62.48.

(Reporting by Jessica Wohl in Chicago; Editing by Derek Caney)

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