Market Update
Zoom Video Quarterly Net Falls 50%, Revises Outlook Higher
Scott Peters
23 May, 2022
New York City
Zoom Video Communications said sales in the first quarter 2023 ending in April rose 12% to $1.07 billion.
Net income in the quarter fell nearly half to $113.6 million or 37 cents per share from $227.4 million or 74 cents per share.
Net cash provided by operating activities in the first quarter fell to $526.2 million from $533.3 million a year ago.
Free cash flow in the quarter increased to $501 million from $454 million a year ago.
Deferred revenues in the quarter rose 2% to $1.3 billion and revenue performance obligation surged 44% to $3 billion.
As more customers sign for longer term contracts, the company said it plans to take 63% of RPO as revenues over the next 12 months compared to 71% in the first quarter of last year.
Revenue from Enterprise customers grew 31% from a year ago and represented 52% of total revenue, up from 45% in Q1 of FY22.
The number of Enterprise customers grew 24% year over year to approximately 198,900.
At the end of the first quarter, Zoom had 198,000 enterprise customers and 2,916 contributed more than $100,000 in the trailing 12-month revenues, an increase of 46% from a year ago.
Revenues in the Americas increased 15% and in the Asia Pacific region rose 20% in the quarter from a year ago.
The company has repurchased $132 million representing 1.2 million shares of the $1 billion share buyback program announced in the last quarter.
Guidance and Outlook
In the second quarter of fiscal 2023, the company is anticipating revenues between $1.15 billion and $1.2 billion and non-GAAP from operations between $360.0 million and $365.0 million.
Non-GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be between $0.90 and $0.92 based on 308 million non-GAAP weighted average shares outstanding.
For the full fiscal 2023 the company is anticipating between $4.530 billion and $4.550 billion and non-GAAP income from operations between $1.480 billion and $1.500 billion.
Full fiscal year non-GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be between $3.70 and $3.77 based on 309 million non-GAAP weighted average shares outstanding.
Company and Stock
Zoom stock closed down 0.5% to $89.33 in regular trading hours and in the after-market hours gained $11.82 or 13% to $101.30.
Zoom stock has declined 51.5% in the year so far.
Stock Indexes Surge After Weeks of Selloff
Barry Adams
23 May, 2022
New York City
Stocks advanced in New York and bargain hunters searched among beaten down tech and retail sector stocks.
The S&P 500 index surged 1.9% to 3,973.75 and the Nasdaq Composite index rose 1.6% to 11,535.26.
Inflation worries, stock market valuation contraction, and the looming recession have dominated the trading sentiment for the last two months.
The S&P 500 index touched a 20% decline mark from the peak in Friday's trading and the Nasdaq Composite has fallen more than 27% in the last six months of trading.
Banks traded higher after JPMorgan Chase said that the bank is likely to reach its key return targets earlier than previously expected supported by higher lending rates.
JPMorgan Chase surged 6% to $124.64, Citigroup advanced 6% to $52.85, and Wells Fargo increased 5.04% to $43.77.
Retail stocks were in focus again ahead of earnings from Costco, Nordstrom, and Dollar General later in the week.
Costco jumped 3% to $429.00 and the warehouse club is expected to report stronger earnings after the close on Thursday May 26.
In the fiscal second quarter ending on Feb 13, the retailer reported comparable U.S. same store sales excluding gasoline increased 15.8% from a year ago and slowed to 12.7% in March, and dropped further to 8.1% in April.
Last week competitors BJ's Wholesale Club and Sam's Club owned by Walmart reported strong sales gains and a surge in membership.
In the week, Nordstrom, Ralph Lauren, Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Dick's Sporting Goods, American Eagle, Ollie's Bargain are expected to release earnings.
Zoom Video fell 1.2% to $88.59 and the video conferencing company is scheduled to release earnings after the close today.
In Europe, market indexes gained after investors bid up stocks and corporate activities perked up.
The business confidence index in Germany rose to 93.0 in May from 91.9 in April, Munich-based Ifo said today.
The confidence index was expected to decline to 91.4 on the account of rising inflation and slowing sales after improving modestly in April.
The DAX index advanced 1.4% to 14,175.13, the CAC-40 index rose 1.2% to 6,358.17, and the FTSE 100 index advanced 1.7% to 7,513.08.
Merger and acquisition news dominated the market sentiment.
Siemens AG gained after Siemens Energy made a cash tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares in Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
In Asian markets stocks were subdued after China reported rising infection cases in Beijing over the weekend and the city imposed lockdown in 22 districts.
Shanghai Composite index lost early gains to close nearly unchanged at 3,146.86 and the Hang Seng index declined 1.2% to 20,470.86.
Stocks in Mumbai were also under pressure after the Reserve Bank of India is set to lift rates again at the next policy meeting scheduled on June 6.
The Sensex and the Nifty indexes lost early momentum and closed down after the hawkish comment from the RBI governor confirmed rate hike at the next meeting.
European Markets Advance Between 1% and 2%
Barry Adams
23 May, 2022
New York City
In Europe market indexes gained after investors bid up stocks and corporate activities perked up.
The business confidence index in Germany rose to 93.0 in May from 91.9 in April, Munich-based Ifo said today.
The confidence index was expected to decline to 91.4 on the account of rising inflation and slowing sales after improving modestly in April.
The DAX index advanced 1.4% to 14,175.13, the CAC-40 index rose 1.2% to 6,358.17, and the FTSE 100 index advanced 1.7% to 7,513.08.
Merger and acquisition news dominated the market sentiment.
Siemens AG gained after Siemens Energy made a cash tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares in Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
Deutsche EuroShop AG jumped 40% to 21.90 euros after the shopping center operator received an offer from a consortium of investors for 1.4 billion euros.
Holcim Group jumped 0.9% to 46.98 Swiss francs after the company agreed to acquire Louisiana-based Cajun Ready-Mix Concrete.
Cajun has been operating in the Baton Rouge area with 108 employees and eight ready-mix plants since 2014.
Holcim recently agreed to sell its stakes in two cement companies in India to Adani Group for more than $6 billion.
In Paris, ArcelorMittal, Credit Agricole, and Societe Generale gained more than 3.5% but BNP Paribas fell more than 4%.
In Asian markets stocks were subdued after China reported rising infection cases in Beijing over the weekend.
Shanghai Composite index lost early gains to close nearly unchanged at 3,146.86 and the Hang Seng index declined 1.2% to 20,470.86.
Stocks in Mumbai were also under pressure after the Reserve Bank of India is set to lift rates again at the next policy meeting scheduled on June 6.
The Sensex and the Nifty indexes lost early momentum after the comment from the RBI governor and the indexes closed down.
Movers: Axon, Didi, Electronic Arts, VMware, Siemens Gamesa
Barry Adams
23 May, 2022
New York City
Axon Enterprise Inc declined 5.7% to $93.75 after the maker of Taser guns was downgraded by Morgan Stanley joining other analysts in lowering its outlook and price target.
Didi Global Inc declined 0.3% to $1.50 after the Chinese ride-hailing company won shareholder approval to delist its share from the New York Stock Exchange.
Only a year ago the company had raised $4.4 billion in a public offering and listed its stock on the NYSE.
In an extraordinary shareholder meeting on Monday in Beijing shareholders, including SoftBank and Tencent, voted in an overwhelming majority to delist the company shares from the NYSE.
The stock is expected to be delisted in June and has declined 90% from its closing price on the first day of trading on June 30, 2021.
Just a few months later, the Chinese authorities targeted the company with cybersecurity reviews and the company became a poster child for the Chinese regulatory crackdown on tech companies.
Electronic Arts jumped 2% to $133.36 after media reports suggested that the video game publisher is looking to find a merger partner.
GameStop Corp rose 1& to $96.68 after the video game retailer released its digital wallet for cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
VMware, Inc soared 21% to $115.65 after the cloud infrastructure company is in advanced talks to be acquired by the chip maker Broadcom according to news reports from Bloomberg News and Reuters.
Broadcom declined 3% to $526.86.
Starbucks added 0.7% to $73.93 and the coffee chain operator confirmed its plan to exit Russia after 15 years of presence and close down all 130 licensed cafes.
Siemens Gamesa Energy Renewable, S.A. increased $1.71 to $18.75 after Siemens Energy, a unit of Siemens AG, made a cash tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares in Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, the Spanish wind-turbine maker.
The company will offer
Asian Markets Trim Gains After Beijing Imposes Lockdowns In 22 Districts
Arjun Pandit
23 May, 2022
New York City
In Asian markets stocks were subdued after China reported rising infection cases in Beijing over the weekend.
The government extended work-from-home for many of its 22 million residents after the city officials reported 99 new infections in the city.
The districts of Haidian, Chaoyang, Fengtai, Shunyi, and Fangshan were under stringent lockdowns, China's Global Times reported citing a statement of Beijing's local government spokesperson, Xu in Hejian.
Shanghai Composite index lost early gains to close nearly unchanged at 3,146.86 and the Hang Seng index declined 1.2% to 20,470.86.
Stocks in Mumbai were also under pressure after the Reserve Bank of India is set to lift rates again at the next policy meeting scheduled on June 6.
The Sensex and the Nifty indexes lost early momentum after the comment from the RBI governor and the indexes closed down.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei index increased 27,001.52 and the broader Topix index gained 0.9% to 1,894.57.
Financial services stocks were in focus after Tokio Marine Holdings Inc soared 7.4% to 7,300 yen.
Tokio Marine said fiscal year net income more than doubled to 420.48 billion yen or $3.3 billion from 161.80 billion yen a year ago.
The insurance company guided 2.3% increase in profit in the current year and said it plans to buy back 100 billion yen of its shares in the current year.
Stocks in Korea advanced for the second day in a row and the Kospi average closed up 0.31% to 2,647.38.
SK Bioscience Co Ltd jumped 4.2% to 133,000 won after the company confirmed that it has delivered its first injectable Vaccine solution for chickenpox to Pan American Health Organization, an agency under the United Nations active in the Latin America.
U.S. Stocks Rebound After Weeks of Selloff
Barry Adams
23 May, 2022
New York City
Stocks on Wall Street opened higher after another week of relentless decline and seven weeks of losses that brought down two key indexes in or near bear zone.
The S&P 500 index advanced 0.6% to 3,925,84 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.13% to 11,356.05.
Stocks have been in a free fall for the last two months and S&P 500 and the Nasdaq indexes have fallen for the seven week in a row.
The S&P 500 index has declined for the seven weeks in a row and is down about 18% and the Nasdaq Composite index has fallen 28% in the year so far.
The profit recession has finally hit the valuations and investors have been rerating future cash flows and lowering price-earnings ratios of tech, transportation, banking, and retail sector stocks.
Investors will scrutinize the earnings from Nordstrom, Costco, Zoom Video, and Dollar General during the week.
Electronic Arts traded higher 3% to $134.85 after media reports suggested the video game publisher is looking for a merger partner.
VMware, Inc soared 20% after the cloud infrastructure company is in advanced talks to be acquired by the chip maker Broadcom according to news reports from Bloomberg News and Reuters.
Broadcom declined 4%.
Starbucks also confirmed it will exit from Russia after 15 years of presence and close down all 130 licensed cafes.
In European trading, market indexes gained after cautious buyers stepped up buying.
The DAX index gained 0.73% to 14,083.83, the CAC-40 index rose 0.2% to 6,297.67, and the FTSE 100 index advanced 1.2% to 7,479.18.
Merger and acquisition news dominated the market sentiment.
Siemens AG gained after Siemens Energy made a cash tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares in Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
Deutsche EuroShop AG jumped 40% to 21.90 euros after the shopping center operator received an offer from a consortium of investors for 1.4 billion euros.
Holcim Group jumped 0.9% to 46.98 Swiss francs after the company agreed to acquire Louisiana-based Cajun Ready-Mix Concrete.
The construction company has been selling off its cement business around the world including in India and shifting its business mix to more value added products.
In Asian markets stocks were subdued after China reported rising infection cases in Beijing over the weekend.
Shanghai Composite index lost early gains to close nearly unchanged at 3,146.86 and the Hang Seng index declined 1.2% to 20,470.86.
Stocks in Mumbai were also under pressure after the Reserve Bank of India is set to lift rates again at the next policy meeting scheduled on June 6.
The Sensex and the Nifty indexes lost early momentum after the comment from the RBI governor and the indexes closed down.
S&P 500 Touches Bear Mark, Nasdaq Extends 6-Month Loss to 30%
Barry Adams
20 May, 2022
New York City
Eight-week long market selloff accelerated and broadened to all sectors and dragged popular indexes to new lows in the year with the S&P 500 briefly dipping in the bear territory.
At close, the S&P 500 index inched up 0.57 to close at 3,901.36 and the Nasdaq Composite index edged down 0.3% to 11,354.62.
In intra-day trading, the S&P 500 index dipped briefly in the beat territory for the first time since March 2020 when the index stayed there for 33 days.
The Nasdaq index peaked on November 19, 2021 at 16,057.44 and the S&P 500 peaked on January 3, 2022 at 4,796.54.
The Nasdaq index has fallen more than 31% in the last six months when it peaked in November.
The Nasdaq has been in the bear market for the last six months and the S&P 500 index for four months counting its intra-day low today.
Investors consider the beginning of the bear market when the index declines 20% from the recent peak.
Stocks have been volatile for the last eight weeks and popular indexes have been posting weekly losses for the last eight week on the worry that the Fed may not be able to tame the elevated inflation without tipping the economy into a recession.
Market sentiment was dented severely after two leading retailers Walmart and Target reported sharply weak quarterly results this week and lowered outlook for the rest of the year.
Elevated food and energy prices have kept consumers on guard for the last eighteen months and the low income consumers have been hit the hardest with the inflation.
High growth and high priced tech stocks have been on the slide for the last three months and the once popular Internet stocks are now down between 50% and 75%.
Zoom Video, Paypal, Holdings, Netflix, Etsy, Wayfair, Shopify, have dropped more than 70% in the last six months.
Amazon has dropped 40%, Microsoft and Google have lost 25%, and Apple has declined 15% in the last six months.
Except for the energy sector, all other sectors are now down 20% or more.
Crude oil edged higher 40 cents to close at $112.70 a barrel suggesting that the fuel price driven inflation is here to stay for many more months to come.
The yield on 10-year Treasury notes edged lower to 2.79%.
For the week, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite index dropped 2.8%.
The S&P 500 index declined for the seventh week in a row and posted its longest losing streak since 2001 and the Nasdaq Composite has fallen for the eighth week in a row.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 2.3% in the week and fell for the eight week in a row, longest streak of losses in 1932.
Movers: Applied Materials, Deckers, Deere, Ollie's, Palo Alto, Ross, Tesla, VF Corp
Barry Adams
20 May, 2022
New York City
Applied Materials, Inc declined 4.8% to $105.38 the semiconductor chip equipment maker reported second quarter of fiscal 2022 sales rose 12% to $6.2 billion and net income rose 15% to $1.5 billion.
Diluted earnings per share rose to $1.74 from $1.43 a year ago.
The company guided third quarter sales to be $6.25 billion with a range of $400 million up or down and non-GAAP adjusted diluted earnings per share between $1.59 and $1.95.
The sales estimates include "the impact of ongoing supply chain challenges."
Deckers Outdoor Corp jumped 11.6% to $253.02 after the footwear and apparel retailer estimated fiscal 2023 revenues to increase between 10% and 11% and earnings per share between $17.40 and $18.25.
The retailer reported fiscal fourth quarter 2022 sales increased 31.2% to $736 million and net income more than doubled to $63 million from a year ago.
Earnings per share in the quarter rose to $2.51 from $1.18 a year ago.
The retailer guided fiscal 2023 net sales between $3.45 billion and $3.50 billion and earnings per share between $17.40 and $18.25.
Deere & Company dropped 11.8% to $321.75 after the agriculture equipment maker reported sales and revenues rose 11% to $13.4 billion in the second quarter ending on May 1.
Net income rose 17% to $2.1 billion or $6.81 a share from $1.79 billion or $5.68 a share.
The company guided fiscal 2022 earnings to range between $7.0 billion and $7.4 billion.
Foot Locker jumped 2.2% to $30.96 after the footwear and apparel retailer said first quarter sales increased 1% to $2.15 billion but comparable same store sales fell 1.9%.
Net income in the quarter fell to $133 million or $1.37 a share from $202 million or $1.93 a share.
For the year, the retailer estimated sales to decline between 4% and 6% and comparable sales to fall between 8% and 10%.
Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings declined 2.04% to $42.26 after the company is expected to benefit from inventory liquidation caused by supply chain disruptions and higher than expected demand estimated by other retailers.
Bank of America also upgraded the stock to "buy" from "underperform."
Earlier two month ago, the retailer reported sales in the fourth quarter ending in January declined 2.8% and comparable sales fell 10.5%.
Palo Alto Networks rose 8.4% to $473.13 after the cyber security and network management company reported fiscal third quarter 2022 ending in April rose 29% to $1.4 billion.
Net loss in the quarter shrank to $73.2 million or 74 cents a share from $145.1 million or $1.50 a share.
The company guided fiscal 2022 revenues to range between $5.481 billion to $5.551 billion and diluted non-GAAP earnings per share between $7.43 and $7.46.
Ross Stores, Inc plunged 21,6% to $72.60 after the discount retailer reported first quarter sales declined 4% to $4.3 billion and comparable sales fell 7% after rising 13% in the year ago.
Earnings per share for the quarter ending in April dropped to 97 cents or $338 million from $1.34 or $476 million.
The retailer estimated second quarter comparable same store sales to decline between 4% and 6% and earnings per share to range between 99 cents and $1.07 compared to $1.39 a share a year ago.
Tesla Inc declined 8.5% to $648.30 and extended week long losses to 16% after tech stocks resumed slide today raising the prospect that the proposed deal to acquire Twitter may face more headwinds.
Tesla has fallen more than 46% in the year so far.
VF Corp jumped 3% to $46.03 after the apparel maker reported sales in the fourth quarter ending in March rose 9% to $2.8 billion and net income fell to $80.8 million or 21 cents a share from $89 million or 23 cents a share.
For the fiscal year net sales rose 27% to $11.8 billion and net income more than tripled to $1.4 billion or $3.55 a share from $407 million or $1.05 a share.
The company lifted fiscal 2023 revenues in constant currency to rise 7% and earnings per share to fall between $3.30 and $3.40 provided there are no Covid-19 related lockdowns.
China Hopes Rate Cut Will Revive Economic Activities
Brian Turner
20 May, 2022
New York City
China unexpectedly lowered its mortgage reference rate today hoping to revive the flagging housing market.
The People's Bank of China held its one-year loan prime rate at 3.7% but lowered its five-year loan, reference rate for mortgage lending, to 4.45% from 4.60%.
The rate cut was the largest since the rate structure was revised by the central bank in 2019 and was second after the rate was trimmed in January.
In January, the central bank lowered one-year and five-year rates after home prices and sales fell.
Home prices declined again in April compared to March.
The latest rate cut follows the central bank's lowering of the mortgage rate floor for the first-time home buyers over the weekend.
The central bank is looking to revive moribund housing market and spur more economic activities as the nation is struggling with Covid-19 stringent restrictions and lockdowns in many regions.
Stocks of builders changed little after the rate cut suggesting that the rate cut may not be enough but broader market indexes welcomed the move.
The Shanghai Composite Index gained 1.6% to 3,146.57 and the Hang Seng Index rose 3% to 20,717.24.
U.S. Indexes Turn Negative After Early Bounce Dissipates
Barry Adams
20 May, 2022
New York City
U.S. indexes opened higher and stocks rebounded across all market caps and global sentiment improved after China took additional steps to revive housing demand.
Market indexes turned negative after one hour of trading on elevated oil prices and consumer health worries resurfaced.
The S&P 500 index decreased 0.3% to 3,889.35 and the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.3% to 11,349.52.
Unnerved investors have been struggling to gauge consumer health after several leading retailers reported falling earnings and sales and rising inventories.
The inventory mismatch across retailers has largely been blamed on supply chain challenges but it may show underlying weakness in consumers.
Consumers are battling rising energy, food and home prices and are trimming discretionary purchases.
Crude oil edged up 43 cents to $112.65 a barrel and has nearly doubled in the last 12 months from $63.30 a barrel and keep moving higher every week.
The elevated energy prices are expected to keep consumer price index higher in the months to come and shrink consumer discretionary spending.
The yield on 10-year Treasury notes edged slightly lower to 2.82%.
For the year, the Nasdaq is down 27% and the S&P 500 has fallen 19% as of market close yesterday.
Ross Stores plunged 21% after the retailer posted quarterly earnings and lowered its sales and earnings outlook.
Sales were below expectations in the last two months of the quarter, CEO Barbara Rentler said.
Foot Locker jumped 4% after the athletic footwear retailer reported better-than-expected adjusted earnings and comparable same store sales fell less than estimated by several analysts.
Deer & Company fell 7% after the heavy machinery maker despite the company reporting strong earnings and lifting annual sales outlook on rising global crop prices.
In Asian markets, the Nikkei jumped 1.3% and consumer price inflation in April rose 2.4%.
Indexes in China jumped between 1% and 3% after the People's Bank of China lowered the mortgage reference rate unexpectedly.
Market indexes in India jumped nearly 3% following the Asia-wide rally.
China Rate Cut Spurs Asian Rally
Arjun Pandit
20 May, 2022
New York City
Asian markets scaled higher after China unexpectedly lowered its mortgage reference rate hoping to revive the flagging housing market.
The People's Bank of China held its one-year loan prime rate at 3.7% but lowered its five-year loan, reference rate for mortgage lending, to 4.45% from 4.60%.
The rate was the largest since the rate structure was revised by the central bank in 2019 and was second after the rate was trimmed in January.
In January, the central bank lowered one-year and five-year rates after home prices and sales fell. Home prices declined again in April compared to March.
The latest rate cut follows the central bank's lowering of the mortgage rate floor for the first-time home buyers over the weekend.
The central bank is looking to revive moribund housing market and spur more economic activities as the nation is struggling with Covid-19 stringent restrictions and lockdowns in many regions.
Stocks of builders changed little after the rate cut suggesting that the rate cut is not likely to help much.
The Shanghai Composite Index gained 1.6% to 3,146.57 and the Hang Seng Index rose 3% to 20,717.24.
Consumer price index in Japan rose 2.4% in April from a year ago and edged up 0.4% from March, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said today.
Core prices excluding food and energy rose 2.1% from a year ago after rising at 0.8% in the previous month.
Consumer price inflation is ahead of the central bank's target rate of 2% for the first time in seven years, driven by 8-year high imported energy prices.
The Nikkei 225 index rose 1.3% to 26,739.0.
In trading, Seiko Epson rose 8.8% t0 2,123 yen after the company announced to buy back shares.
Isetan Mitsukoshi jumped 2.2% to 1,057 yen and Oriental Land Co advanced 2.3% to 18,345 yen on the hopes that the government is ready to relax restrictions on social and economic activities.
The Bank of Korea said producer prices in South Korea rose 9.2% in April after rising at 9.0% in March.
On a monthly basis the increase declined to 1.1% from 1.5% in the previous month.
The Kospi index climbed 1.81% to 2,639.29 ahead of the U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to South Korea.
In Australia stocks closed higher ahead of the federal election on Saturday with the Labor Party running ahead in polls but the lead has narrowed considerably in recent days.
Of the 17 million people expected to vote, six million have already cast their ballot in early voting.
The benchmark ASX 200 index rose 1.15% to 7,145.60 and closed up 1% for the week and first weekly gain in the last five weeks.
Bath & Body Works Lowers Outlook, Adds 18 New Stores
Scott Peters
19 May, 2022
New York City
Bath & Body Works Inc reported net sales decreased 1.3% to $1.45 billion in the first quarter ended April 30, 2022.
Net income in the quarter fell 43% to $154 million and diluted earnings per share declined to 64 cents from 97 cents a year ago.
Prior year's quarter included pre-tax loss of $105.5 million associated with early extinguishment of debt.
On an adjusted basis, which excludes the above charge in 2021, first quarter 2022 earnings from continuing operations per diluted share increased 7% to $0.64 compared to $0.60 last year, and net income from continuing operations was $154.9 million compared to $170.4 million last year.
Earnings per share increased because the number of outstanding shares declined to 243.3 million from 284.4 million a year ago.
The company opened 18 new stores in the quarter and total store count increased to 356.
Guidance and Outlook
The company guided second quarter earnings per share from continuing operations to fall between 60 and 65 cents compared to 77 cents a year ago.
For the full-year the retailer estimated earnings per share for continuing operations to fall between $3.80 and $4.15 compared to $4.51 a year ago and lowered from its previous guidance between $4.30 to $4.70.
Company and Stocks
Bath & Body Works operates 1,750 stores selling home fragrance and personal care products in the U.S. and Canada and franchises 350 stores at international locations.
Bath & Body Works stock declined 6.8% to $40.03 after the release of earnings and has declined 42.5% in the year so far.
Record Prices and Higher Rates Slowdown Home Sales
Brian Turner
19 May, 2022
New York City
Existing home sales declined 2.4% in April, National Association of Realtors said today. Sales declined 5.9% from a year ago.
Home sales declined for the third month in a row to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.61 million. Home price increase slowed to 14.8% with median price of $391,200.
"Higher home prices and sharply higher mortgage rates have reduced buyer activity," said Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist.
"It looks like more declines are imminent in the upcoming months, and we'll likely return to the pre-pandemic home sales activity after the remarkable surge over the past two years."
Despite the elevated prices and rising rates, homes remained on the market for only 17 days in April matching the days in March 2022 and April 2021.
Nearly 90% of all homes sold were on the market in less than a month.
All-cash sales accounted for 26% of transactions in April, down from 28% in March and up from the 25% recorded in April 2021.
Single family home sales in April declined to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.99 million, a decline of 2.5% from March and 4.8% from a year ago.
The median existing single-family home price was $397,600 in April, up 14.8% from April 2021.
Existing home sales in the West fell 5.8% from the previous month and declined 8.1% from a year ago to an annual rate of 1.114 million and median home price increased 4.3% to $523,000.
Existing home sales in the South declined 4.6% in April from the previous month and fell 5.7% from a year ago to 2.49 million annual rate.
Volatile S&P 500 and Nasdaq Closed Lower Lacking Support
Barry Adams
19 May, 2022
New York City
Stocks after a day of roller coaster trading failed to close higher and dropped in the final thirty minutes of trading.
Fear dominated financial markets for the second day in a row and indexes lost ground as the S&P 500 teetered near bear territory in the early trading.
The indexes managed to rise above the flat-line four times but lacked support only to quickly dip in the negative.
The S&P 500 dropped 0.6% to 3,900.72 and the Nasdaq Composite decreased 0.3% to 11,388.51.
Crude oil jumped 2.7% $112.23 a barrel and the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes decreased to 2.886%
The benchmark bond yields rose in seven of the last nine trading days and weekly jobless claims increased for the third week in a row.
Elevated crude prices drove the market sentiment and investors feared that persistent high energy prices will dampen economic activities and lower corporate earnings.
Investors sold stocks and feared that inflation is finally showing up in corporate results and more pain is likely to follow as the Fed prepares aggressive rate hikes that may tip the economy into a recession.
The twin fears of future faster rate hikes and sustained inflation have been playing out over the last eight weeks and reached a new height on Wednesday.
The earnings miss from Walmart and Target and cautious outlook from Lowe's fanned negative sentiment on Wednesday.
Cisco declined 14% after the networking systems maker reported flat quarterly sales and guided revenues to decline in the current quarter on the account of parts shortages and supply chain disruptions.
Kohl's dropped 7% after the general merchandise retailer reported a first quarter and comparable sales declined 5.2% and said adjusted earnings per share plunged 90% to 11 cents from $1.05 a year ago.
BJ's Wholesale Club bucked the retail sector trend and rose 8% after the company reported latest quarter sales advanced nearly 10% and earnings jumped 38% on comparable store sales increase of 4.1% compared to a year ago.
U.S. weekly jobless claims in the week ending on May 18 came in at 281,000, an increase of 21,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
Existing home sales declined 2.4% in April, National Association of Realtors said today. Sales declined 5.9% from a year ago.
Home sales declined for the third month in a row to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.61 million. Home price increase slowed to 14.8% with median price of $391,200.
"Higher home prices and sharply higher mortgage rates have reduced buyer activity," said Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist.
"It looks like more declines are imminent in the upcoming months, and we'll likely return to the pre-pandemic home sales activity after the remarkable surge over the past two years."
The U.S. rout sparked a global market selloff and dragged indexes in Asia and Europe down between 1% and 2%.
The DAX index in Frankfurt fell 0.9% to 13,882.09, the CAC-40 in Paris decreased 1.3% to 6,272.72, and the FTSE 100 index in London dropped 1.8% to 7,302.84.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei index declined 1.9% to 26,402.82.
Tech and automakers led the decline in Tokyo and SoftBank Group fell 1.6% to 5,055.00 yen and Recruit Holdings Co fell 4.2% to 4,602.00 yen.
Japan's trade deficit in April rose to 839.2 billion yen (about $7 billion) from the upwardly revised 414.1 billion in March.
Imports were the largest since record keeping began in 1979.
Japan recorded a monthly deficit for the ninth month in a row and swung from a surplus of 227 billion in April 2021.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index fell 2.5% to 20,120.68, the largest decline since May 6. Hang Seng Tech index fell 4% but the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.4%, the only gainer in Asian markets.
Children's Place Net Drops 56%, Cuts Sales Outlook
Scott Peters
19 May, 2022
New York City
Children's Place Inc, the specialty apparel retailer, reported revenues in the first quarter ending in April declined 16.8% to $362.4 million and net income fell 56% to $19.8 million.
Diluted earnings per share declined 49% to $1.43 from $3.01 a year ago.
The company also said March sales in the current quarter were 35% lower from a year ago on inclement weather across the nation, rising food and energy prices and the expiring of Covid-19 stimulus program kept consumers away.
March temperatures dropped to record two-decade lows in many regions in the country.
Net sales declined 12.1% from $421.4 million in three months ended May 2019 a year.
The retailer has been reducing its network of stores and lowering retail footprint and closed several underperforming stores during the two years of pandemic.
The company closed 7 stores in the quarter and plans to close 50 stores in the year.
The store count declined to 665 from 971 at the pre-pandemic end of first quarter 2019.
At the end of the first quarter, retail square foot space declined 8% to 3.2 million or 30% from the end of first quarter 2019.
In the quarter the company repurchased 660,000 shares for $38.8 million and $218.6 million still available for the program.
Guidance and Outlook
The company said it is no longer providing earnings per share outlook considering the economic and market uncertainties.
The company lowered its full-year 2022 revenues to decline in mid-single digits.
The retailer also held out for its long term goal of growing operating margin and earnings per share in double digits.
Company and Stock
Children's Place stock dropped as much as 10% in pre-market trading after the earnings release but in the regular session jumped 11% to $48.04.
In the year-so-far, Children's Place stock has declined 39.7%.