MARKET CURRENTS
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MARKET CURRENTS
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Thursday, May 23
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9:04 PM More on Ross Stores' (ROST) Q1: Revenue and comps rise 8% and 3% Y/Y respectively (comps growth was 9% in Q1 2012). Operating margin rises 50 basis points to a record 14.9% thanks to "higher merchandise gross margins and [the] favorable timing of expenses." CEO Michael Balmuth says the company is on track to repurchase ~$550M in shares in FY13. Outlook: Q2 EPS of $0.89-0.93 (consensus is $0.91/share ) and FY13 EPS of $3.70-3.81 (consensus is $3.88/share). Shares +0.8% AH. (PR) Comment!
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8:50 PM More on Williams-Sonoma's (WSM) Q1: Revenues, operating margin, and EPS rise 8.6%, 120 basis points, and 33% Y/Y respectively. The quarter was "the best Q1 in the company's history," CEO Laura Alber says. Comps (which is "comparable brand revenue" here) rose 7.2% versus 5.4% growth in Q1 2012. Negative Q1 2012 comps growth in the namesake brand, Pottery Barn Kids, and PBteen is reversed, as the brands see growth of 1.9%, 6.9%, and 16.1% respectively during the quarter. WSM raises FY13 guidance to $2.67-2.77/share on revenue of $4.22-4.3B against consensus of $2.77/share and sales of $4.25B. Shares flat AH. (PR) Comment!
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8:37 PM More on Zumiez' (ZUMZ) Q1: Revenues rise 14.3% Y/Y, even as comps drop 0.7% (comps growth was 12.9% in Q1 2012). CEO Rick Brooks reminds investors that the operating environment in Q1 was "more challenging" than it was in the same period a year ago and notes that "business improved throughout the quarter driven by strong full price selling during" March and April. For Q2 ZUMZ sees EPS of $0.12-0.14 (including a ~$0.04/share hit from the Blue Tomato acquisition) on revenue of $155-158M — consensus is for $0.17/share on sales of $156.79M. Shares -3.09% AH. (PR) Comment!
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8:20 PM More on Aeropostale's (ARO) Q1: Revenues and comps fall 9% and 14% Y/Y respectively. The company cites a "weak macroeconomic environment [and] unseasonably cool weather" — so, the usual suspects — as negative factors. E-commerce revenues (included in the comps calculation) rise 13%. CEO Thomas Johnson says visibility is "limited" going forward but expresses confidence in the company's strategic initiatives to transform the brand and "develop growth drivers." For Q2, ARO sees a loss of $0.15-0.20/share versus consensus of a $0.06 per share loss. Shares -4.49% AH. (PR) Comment!
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8:04 PM More on Infoblox (BLOX): FQ3 beats across the board as total revenue ramps up 34% Y/Y. Net losses narrowed as the data-center technology company benefited from growing product demand across all regions. The company also raised its FY13 revenue expectations, now expecting between $220M to $221M, versus previously targeted revenue of $216M to $219M. For Q4, the company projected earnings of $0.08 - $0.09 a share on revenue of $58M to $59M. Analysts forecast an EPS of $0.07 on revenue of $58M. Shares +14% AH. Comment!
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7:23 PM Sears Holdings (SHLD) gets slammed in after-hours trade following a disappointing first quarter that was much worse than analysts expected. In its conference call, CEO Eddie Lampert says the performance is "not acceptable,” adding that “a company of our size and with our assets should be generating a significant profit.” Shares -12% AH. 5 Comments
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4:48 PM More on Marvell (MRVL) 2014 FQ1 earnings: FQ2 revenue guidance of $770M-$810M, non-GAAP gross margin of 51.5%-53.5%, non-GAAP operating expenses of $305M-$325M, non-GAAP EPS of $0.17-$0.21. Consensus revenue is $763M, EPS is $0.18. Company puts earnings beat on better than normal seasonal demand and share gains in storage and networking end markets. "We expect growth to be driven by increased traction in areas such as mobile handsets, tablets, connectivity, and SSDs." CC at 4:45 ET. Shares +7.2% AH. (PR) Comment!
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4:47 PM More on Nordson (NDSN): FQ2 comes in short of the mark despite a 21% rise in total sales. Organic sales volume grew in all three operating units and every region, with strong margin performance in every segment; Adhesive Dispensing Systems +1%, Advanced Technology Systems +14%, Industrial Coating Systems +13%. Backlog totalled approximately $200M, +3% Y/Y. Looking forward the company sees Q3 EPS of $1.00 - 1.09, below the consensus of $1.15, on revenue of $404M - $419M, also below the consensus call for sales of $429.9M. Shares -3.6% AH. Comment!
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4:39 PM More on Sears Holdings' (SHLD) Q1 results: Domestic comparable store sales fell 3.6%, comprised of decreases of 4.6% at Kmart and 2.4% at Sears U.S., blamed on weather related declines in lawn and garden; excluding that category, comp store sales would have gained 0.3%. Online business rose 20% Y/Y. Says it may put its service agreement business up for sale to raise cash. Shares -13% AH. 11 Comments
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4:38 PM More on Pandora (P) 2014 FQ1 earnings: FQ2 revenue guidance of $155M-$160M, EPS of a loss of $0.02 to profit of $0.01 vs. consensus of $149.7M and $0.01 profit. FY14 revenue guidance of $615M-$635M, EPS of a loss of $0.02 to profit of $0.08 vs. consensus of $616.7M and $0.01 profit. FQ1 non-GAAP mobile revenue of $86.7M up 101% Y/Y vs. mobile listener growth of just 47% (improved monetization). Total listen hours of 4.18B up 35%. Share of total U.S. radio listening is 7.33%, up from 5.86% a year ago. CC at 5 ET. Shares +8.5% AH. (PR) 1 Comment
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4:27 PM More on Salesforce.com (CRM) 2014 FQ1 earnings: FQ2 revenue guidance of $931M-$936M and EPS of $0.11-$0.12 vs. consensus of $935M and $0.12. Deferred revenue balance of $1.73B up 30% Y/Y. Unbilled deferred revenue balance - business contracted but not yet billed - of $3.6B up 33% Y/Y. CC at 5 ET. Shares -5.9% AH. (PR) 2 Comments
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4:10 PM More on Gap's (GPS) Q1: The company reports comparable store sales gained 2% during the quarter with Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic all making a solid contribution but nothing remarkable. Operating margin expanded 290 bps to 14.2%. Store count: Athleta +5 to 40; +2 China stores to 49; Gap North America -7 to 983, Total stores +21 to 3,428. The retailer reaffirms its full year EPS guidance of $2.52-$2.60 vs. $2.72 consensus. GPS -1.0% AH. (PR) Comment!
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4:06 PM Salesforce.com (CRM): Q1 EPS of $0.10 in-line. Revenue of $893M (+28% Y/Y) beats by $5.92M. Shares -4.2% AH. (PR) 5 Comments
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3:16 PM Toro (TTC +3.7%) moves up today after posting a better than expected FQ2. Net earnings rose 14% Y/Y on sales strength in its professional segment, which helped offset a 13% decline in residential sales. The company says that although it backs current earnings guidance, it's lowering revenue growth expectations to between 3% and 4%, compared with its February forecast of a 5% revenue increase. Gross margin improved to 35.8% from 34%. Comment!
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11:36 AM ING. U.S. (VOYA +1.3%) is reiterated a Buy with $31 price target at BTIG following earnings. Analyst Mark Palmer holds that retirement services and asset management - not life insurance - are VOYA's dominant businesses (they command a higher multiple) and he's impressed 76% (vs. his modeled 70%) of adjusted operating earnings came from those units. ROE was up 120 bps to 9.5%, ahead of a 110 bp management goal. Comment!
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10:25 AM Quality Systems (QSII -6%) slips after its FQ4 missed across the board earlier this morning. Total sales grew by 2% Y/Y, but net earnings took a hit from reorg charges and a goodwill impairment charge for the quarter due to an operational review of its hospital unit. Separately, the company says it's appointed Michael Aghajanian to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Aghajanian fills one of the two vacancies on the Board after recent resignations. Comment!
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10:10 AM Perry Ellis (PERY -3.3%) slides after the company misses on the top line in Q1. Management reaffirms its FY14 outlook for revenue growth of 3-5% and for adjusted EPS of $1.50-1.60, but cuts guidance slightly for GAAP earnings to $1.58-1.68 versus a previous range of $1.60-1.70. (PR) Comment!
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10:02 AM Children's Place (PLCE +6.7%) posts strong gains after beating on both the top and bottom line. From the report: CEO Jane Elfers says — in what is now a familiar refrain from retailers this quarter — that the company "had a difficult start [before] April sales improved significantly." Comps growth was negative (-5.5%) as was sales growth (-3.5%). $56.2M remains under the company's share repurchase program. PLCE also raises its EPS guidance for FY13 to $3.05-3.20 against consensus of $3. (PR) Comment!
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8:57 AM More on GameStop (GME): The retailer says comparable store sales fell 6.7% Y/Y during Q1 with new hardware sales down 30.6% and pre-owned sales slipping 7.5%. Looking for channels for future growth? During Q1, mobile sales grew 290% to $46.8M and digital sales rose 47.3%. FY13 EPS is pegged at $2.90-$3.15 vs. $2.75-$3.15 previous and the company's outlook for comparable store sales is improved slightly. GME +1.5% premarket. (PR) 2 Comments
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8:54 AM More on Stein Mart's (SMRT) Q1: Net income, revenue, and comps post 35.6%, 3.8%, and 1.2% gains respectively. Comps rose 8% in April as the retailer closed out the quarter on a positive note. Lower markdowns contributed to higher gross profit and SG&A as a percentage of sales fell. Inventories were higher by ~$16M Y/Y "to support higher sales." (PR) Comment!
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8:14 AM More on Ralph Lauren's (RL) FQ4: An efficient quarter from the retailer but a tad light on revenue. The company says strong retail segment growth was offset in part by unfavorable currency swings and a dip in sales for its wholesale segment. Operating expenses as a percentage of sales were flat Y/Y and 50 bps lower M/M. Consolidated comparable store sales rose 3% during the period. The FY14 outlook includes a 4% to 7% forecast for revenue growth and capex spending of $350M-$450M. RL -3.8% premarket. (PR) Comment!
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7:47 AM More on Dollar Tree's (DLTR) Q1: Comparable store sales rose 2.1% during the period and operating margin improved by 70 bps. A net 92 stores were opened during Q1. For Q2, the retailer expects sales of $1.81B to $1.86B and EPS of $0.52-$0.57, higher than prior guidance but a bit short of Street estimates. DLTR +1.3% premarket. (PR) Comment!
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6:52 AM More on Signet Jewelers' (SIG) FQ1: Same-store sales rose 6.4% Y/Y, led by a 10.2% gain by Kay in the U.S. E-commerce sales in the U.S. division increased 48% to $25.6M. Average transaction prices rose during the quarter. The retailer expects to open 70 to 80 new Kay and Jared stores in FY14. (PR) Comment!
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6:47 AM More on Hormel Foods' (HRL) Q1: Volume was up 4% during the quarter. Revenue gains were led by a 49% Y/Y increase in Grocery Products, while Refrigerated Foods and Jennie-O Turkey Store sales both fell back. Segment operating profit slipped 2%, partially due to higher grain costs and weaker commodity turkey prices. The company backs its full year EPS guidance of $1.93-$2.03. (PR) Comment!
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6:42 AM More on TD Bank (TD) FQ2 earnings: Adjusted EPS of $1.90 vs. $1.78 a year ago. Canadian retail banking net income of $877M up 5% Y/Y. U.S. retail banking net income of $392M up 9%. Wholesale banking net income of $220M up 12%. Provision for credit loses of 0.39%, up from 0.35% last quarter, 0.37% a year ago. Tier 1 capital ratio of 10.8%. Book value/share of $50.18 vs. $45.19 a year ago. Bank has applied to repurchase up to 12M shares on TSX, more than 1% of the float. (PR) 1 Comment
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5:18 AM Lenovo (LNVGY.PK): FQ4 net profit of $127M beats by $20M. FQ4 revenue of $7.83B (+4% Y/Y) misses by $140M. Full year net profit of $635.15M beats by $16.91M. Full year Revenue of $33.87B (+15% Y/Y). Comment!
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