Waymo is temporarily halting freeway operations for its robotaxi service in several U.S. markets as the company works to address performance issues in construction zones, FOX Business has learned.

The Alphabet-owned company confirmed Thursday that it was pausing freeway operations while updating its software.

“Safety is Waymo’s top priority, both for our riders and everyone we share the road with,” a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement to FOX Business. “We have temporarily paused freeway operations, as we work to integrate recent technical learnings into our software and expect to resume these routes soon.” 

Waymo said the pause affects only freeway driving and that surface street operations remain active.

WAYMO TO BRING DRIVERLESS CARS TO CHICAGO, EYES MIDWEST EXPANSION

A Waymo vehicle drives with traffic on Dec. 27, 2025.  (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The company said its vehicles navigate construction zones more than 10,000 times per day and that it is using the pause to improve robotaxi performance on freeways.

The announcement comes after Waymo paused operations in Atlanta following flash-flooding incidents, while separately working to improve performance around construction zones and flooded roadways.

That pause followed reports of Waymo vehicles encountering floodwater in Atlanta on Wednesday; AJC reported one vehicle required recovery, while Waymo said a handful of others were temporarily waylaid.

STELLANTIS UNVEILS $70B TURNAROUND STRATEGY WITH 60 NEW MODELS

A Waymo autonomous taxi on Bush Street in San Francisco, California, US, on Dec. 17, 2025. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The move also comes after Waymo filed a recall covering 3,791 vehicles equipped with fifth- and sixth-generation Automated Driving Systems over a flooding-related software issue that NHTSA said could result in loss of vehicle control.

The recall followed an April 20 incident in which an unoccupied Waymo vehicle detected a potentially untraversable flooded section of a roadway with a 40 mph speed limit and proceeded at reduced speed, according to NHTSA.

The NHTSA report found that when a Waymo robotaxi approaches standing water on higher-speed roads, it may slow down but fail to fully stop after detecting the hazard.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Waymo vehicle approaching the curb to pick up a passenger on February 19, 2026. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Nearly 3,800 vehicles equipped with the company’s fifth and sixth-generation Automated Driving Systems (ADS) were recalled. Regulators estimated the defect rate at 100%.

According to NHTSA, Waymo applied an interim remedy to all affected vehicles on April 20, modifying the approved scope of operation of its ADS to exclude additional conditions that present an elevated risk of encountering a flooded, higher-speed roadway. Waymo is still developing a final remedy.

Waymo operates thousands of vehicles across the U.S., including in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin.

FOX Business’ Bonny Chu and Reuters contributed to this report.

Share buyback refers to a corporate action where a company repurchases its own shares from existing shareholders, mostly at a premium to the market price. Only those shareholders who hold the shares of the companies in their demat accounts as on the record date will be eligible to tender shares in the offers.

Hence, if any investor is planning to take any fresh holding in the two companies today, the shares will be credited to her demat account on Monday as per SEBI’s T+1 settlement rule, making her ineligible to participate in the buybacks.

Welspun Living earlier this month announced a share buyback via the tender route at a price of Rs 175 per share, implying a premium of more than 20% over the stock’s previous closing price of Rs 145.50 apiece on NSE. The textiles company plans to buy back 144 lakh fully paid-up shares of the company with a face value of Re 1 each for an aggregate amount not exceeding Rs 252 crore. This represents 6.52% of the company’s total paid-up equity share capital and 5.65% of the free reserves.

Live Events

Promoters and promoter group have expressed their intention to participate in the share buyback, the company said, adding that the rationale behind the offer was to return surplus cash to its shareholders, improve return on equity and more.
Market regulator SEBI has mandated that 15% of a buyback’s total offer size must be reserved for small shareholders. The company said that it will determine the entitlement ratio on the basis of the shareholding pattern on the record date.
This comes after Welspun Living undertook a Rs 278 crore share buyback via the tender route back in August 2024. The buyback price for the offer was fixed at Rs 220 apiece.
The shares of the company have gained more than 8% in one week and 10% in one month, but declined 3% in one year. In the longer term, the stock delivered 58% returns over three years and 48% returns over five years.

CMS Info Systems buyback

CMS Info Systems fixed May 22 (Friday) as the record date for its share buyback worth Rs 168 crore. The tech company aims to repurchase over 49 lakh shares, representing 3% of its total stake, at a buyback price of Rs 340 per share. This implies a premium of more than 11% from the stock’s previous closing price.

The shares of CMS Info Systems have declined around 3% in one month and 14% in 2026 so far. The stock has tumbled 36% in the past one year. The company has a market capitalisation of nearly Rs 5,005 crore.

NEW YORK — Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ: WMT) shares fell sharply in early trading Thursday, May 21, 2026, dropping $8.11 or 6.20% to $122.78 after the retailer reported first-quarter results that beat revenue estimates but featured a cautious full-year outlook amid consumer spending pressures.

The world’s largest retailer released fiscal first-quarter 2027 earnings before the market open. Revenue reached $177.8 billion, up 7.3% from the prior year and above consensus estimates of approximately $174.8 billion. U.S. comparable sales excluding fuel rose 4.1%.

Adjusted earnings per share came in above expectations, though exact figures were not immediately detailed in initial releases. Global e-commerce sales grew strongly, with Walmart+ membership and advertising revenue also contributing positively.

Walmart reaffirmed its full-year fiscal 2027 guidance for net sales growth of 3.5% to 4.5% in constant currency and adjusted earnings per share of $2.75 to $2.85. Analysts had expected higher figures around $2.92 per share for the year.

The company cited elevated fuel prices and a fluid tariff environment as factors creating uncertainty in consumer behavior and item pricing. CEO John Furner highlighted investments in AI personalization, supply chain upgrades and approximately 650 store remodels as priorities for improving the customer experience.

The stock opened lower and extended losses in early trading as investors focused on the conservative outlook despite the revenue beat. This marked one of Walmart’s larger single-day percentage declines in recent periods.

Walmart operates more than 10,500 stores worldwide and employs approximately 2.1 million associates. Its U.S. business, the largest segment, continues to benefit from strength in grocery, health & wellness and e-commerce.

The retailer has expanded its membership program Walmart+ and advertising business, which grew significantly in the quarter. International operations also posted solid growth.

Walmart’s next earnings report for the second quarter is scheduled for August. The company typically provides detailed commentary on its earnings conference call, hosted by President and CEO John Furner and CFO John David Rainey.

Market capitalization stood near $500 billion prior to the session’s decline. The stock had been trading near all-time highs in recent weeks before the earnings reaction.

Analysts had expected adjusted EPS of approximately $0.65 to $0.66 for the first quarter. Walmart has a history of consistent earnings beats but faced scrutiny over forward guidance in a high-cost environment.

Broader retail sector peers including Target also faced pressure in recent sessions amid concerns over consumer spending, inflation and potential tariffs. Walmart has positioned itself as a value destination, benefiting from trade-down behavior among shoppers.

The company continues capital investments in automation, store remodels and technology. It raised approximately $4 billion in long-term debt earlier in the year at favorable rates to support growth initiatives.

Walmart’s dividend yield remains attractive to income investors. The company has increased its dividend for more than 50 consecutive years. Share repurchases also form part of its capital return strategy.

No changes were announced to the full-year capital expenditure guidance of 3% to 3.5% of sales. Inventory levels remained healthy entering the period.

Trading volume surged in early sessions on May 21 as the earnings reaction drew significant attention. Options activity also increased around the event.

Walmart serves millions of customers daily across its supercenters, discount stores, Sam’s Club warehouses and digital platforms. The retailer has emphasized everyday low prices and supply chain efficiency.

Investors will monitor commentary from the earnings call for updates on tariff impacts, consumer trends and competitive positioning. The stock’s reaction reflects sensitivity to guidance in the current economic environment.

The session’s decline came amid mixed broader market performance. Energy stocks rose on oil prices while some technology names faced pressure from yields.

Walmart has not provided specific second-quarter EPS guidance due to uncertainty around tariffs and pricing dynamics. It expects net sales growth of 3.5% to 4.5% for the quarter in constant currency.

The company’s long-term strategy includes expanding private brands, enhancing omnichannel capabilities and investing in emerging areas such as advertising and membership.

Wall Street’s three main indices have closed slightly higher after a choppy session as oil prices lost ground, with some officials ‌citing progress in US-Iran peace talks even as both sides took opposing stances over an Iranian uranium stockpile and control of the Strait of Hormuz.