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Urban Outfitters Third Quarter Results Were Lackluster

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Teen and twenty-something apparel retailer Urban Outfitters (click ticker for report: ) reported mediocre third quarter results Monday afternoon. The company grew total revenue 14% year-over-year to $693 million, roughly in-line with consensus expectations. Earnings were a penny short of consensus, coming in at $0.40 per share, a 21% increase. Gross margins improved 220 basis points year-over-year to 37.6%, but we weren’t incredibly impressed with profitability. We think a lot of the increase came from moving Free People to a more heavily direct-to-consumer business rather than a wholesale business, though management also noted that discounting was less prevalent during the quarter. Performance across the brands diverged, with comparable retail net sales at Free People up 24%, up 7% at Urban … Read more

Macy’s Posts Strong Earnings; Provides Bold Fourth Quarter Sales Outlook

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Department store retailer Macy’s (click ticker for report: ) reported solid third quarter results Wednesday morning. Sales increased 3.8% year-over-year during the quarter to $6.1 billion, roughly in-line with consensus expectations. Earnings rose 12.5% year-over-year to $0.36 per share, exceeding consensus estimates. As we discovered earlier this week, revenue was driven higher by a 3.7% increase in same-store sales, as well as continued strong performance from macys.com and bloomingdales.com, which grew a combined 40% year-over-year. Men’s tailored clothing, men’s shoes, women’s suits, handbags, furniture, and watches were all cited as strong performers, with juniors, tabletops, and housewares lagging. Most areas were consistent with broader trends we’ve seen across retail as of late; men continue to return to a more formal, … Read more

October Retail Roundup

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During October, the US consumer remained resilient while much of corporate America stagnated in anticipation of the presidential election and the looming fiscal cliff. Let’s take a look at retail sales results for the month. Nordstrom Nordstrom (click ticker for report: ) continues to be a standout performer in the luxury retail space, with October same-store sales surging 9.8% year-over-year. Nordstrom Rack continued to outperform the traditional stores, growing 10.5% year-over-year compared to 10.2% for traditional stores. We remain huge supporters of the firm’s expansion plans, and we believe its execution is unbeatable in the retailer industry. Nevertheless, we believe shares are fairly valued. Gap Gap’s (click ticker for report: ) October results weren’t quite as strong as September results, … Read more