Shoe Carnival Inc.
(
SCVL
) recently posted second quarter 2012 earnings of 14 cents per
share, in line with year-ago quarter, but ahead of the Zacks
Consensus Estimate of 11 cents.
Net sales grew 9.3% year over year to $182.2 million during the
quarter aided by comparable store sales (comps) growth of 3.0%. The
increase in traffic (up low-single digits) and transaction (up
mid-single digits) resulted in the strong comps growth. Comps were
on the high end of the company's guided range.
During the quarter, gross margin increased 90 basis points (bps)
to 28.7%. Higher merchandise margin as well as a fall in buying,
distribution and occupancy costs favored the gross margin.
Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses as a
portion of sales increased 80 bps year over year to 26.1% due to an
increase in the number of stores operated, as well as higher
incentive compensation.
Financial Position
At the end of the quarter, the company had cash and cash
equivalents of $52.9 million and shareholders' equity of $301.9
million.
Outlook
For third quarter 2012, the company anticipates revenue growth
between $240.0 million and $245.0 million and earnings per share in
the range of 55 cents to 60 cents (the guidance includes a
pre-opening expense of 2 cents a share). Comparable store sales are
expected to increase in the range of 4.0-6.0%.
For fiscal 2012, Shoe Carnival remains on track to open
approximately 31 new stores and close 6. Among the scheduled
openings, the company has already rolled out 13 stores in the first
quarter and 11 in the second. While there will be no openings in
the third quarter, the fourth quarter will witness 7 openings.
The company shutdown a respective of 3 and 2 stores in the first
and second quarter and intends to close the remaining one in the
final quarter. The company plans to finish the year with 352
stores. Management also plans to open as many as 30 new stores in
2013.
Our Take
Shoe Carnival, a leading retailer of value-priced footwear and
accessories, performed better than expected in the reported
quarter. The company's sales growth is also on a good trajectory.
Shoe Carnival offers a competitive pricing to attract consumers in
this value-sensitive environment.
The back-to-school season will likely facilitate the third quarter.
The trend can be validated by the 6% increase in comps so far in
the third quarter.
Management also remains optimistic about its expansion plan.
While the solid expansion plan will widen the company's market
reach, over the long term it will face threats of higher
pre-opening expenses which will likely hurt its earnings.
Shoe Carnival, which competes with
Cache Inc.
(
CACH
), currently retains a Zacks #2 Rank, which translates into a
short-term Buy rating. We are maintaining our long-term Neutral
recommendation on the stock.
CACHE INC (CACH): Free Stock Analysis Report
SHOE CARNIVAL (SCVL): Free Stock Analysis
Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment
Research