By Aishwarya Venugopal and Melissa Fares Feb 17 (Reuters) - Walmart Inc's investors and analysts are likely to look past the retail giant's slowest same-store sales growth since the start of the coronavirus crisis, when it reports quarterly results on Thursday and instead focus on the company's ambitions to diversify beyond retail. Walmart's online sales nearly doubled and comparable sales growth touched high single digits each quarter in 2020 as Americans bought groceries and other essentials during the coronavirus pandemic. During that time, the retailer also heavily invested in advertising and health services. "They are thinking broader picture about their customers, so it's not so much each transaction, but how do we think more holistically," said Chad Oviatt, director of investment management at Huntington Private Bank.