Children's Place Jump; Barnes & Noble, HD Supply, United Natural Plunge

Mukesh Buch
08 Dec, 2015
New York City

AutoZone net soared 8%. Barnes & Noble Education net plunged 18%. Conn''''s net loss narrowed. Children''''s Place jumped 4%. Casey''''s General profit soared 58%. HD Supply net surged. Toll Brothers net advanced 7%. United Natural Foods net plummeted 9%.

[R]10:40 AM New York – AutoZone net soared 8%. Barnes & Noble Education net plunged 18%. Conn''s net loss narrowed. Children''s Placejumped 4%. Casey''s General profit soared 58%. HD Supply net surged. Toll Brothers net advanced 7%. United Natural Foods net plummeted 9%.[/R]

Tollbooth Index slipped 56.68 or 0.5% to 10,952.11.

Earnings Review

AutoZone, Inc ((AZO)) fell $1.08 to $752.50 after the automobile parts and accessories retailer said revenues in the first-quarter ending on November 21 jumped 5.6% from a year ago to $2.4 billion.

Same store sales in the quarter advanced 3.5%.

Net income in the quarter soared 8.3% to $258.1 million or $8.29 per diluted share compared to $238.3 million or $7.27 per share from the same quarter last year.

Barnes & Noble Education Inc ((BNED)) tumbled 17.8% or $2.28 to $10.52 after the bookstores operator stated sales in the second-quarter ending in October edged up 0.6% from a year ago to $755.9 million.

Comparable store sales in the quarter declined 3%.

Net income in the quarter plunged 9.5% to $33.4 million or 69 cents per diluted share compared to $36.9 million or 95 cents per share from the same quarter last year.

Conn''s, Inc ((CONN)) declined 4.6% or $1.14 to $23.50 after the consumer durable goods retailer reported revenues in the third-quarter ending in October advanced 6.8% from a year ago to $395.2 million.

Same store sales in the quarter increased 3.8%.

Net loss in the quarter narrowed to $2.4 million or 7 cents per diluted share compared to $3.1 million or 8 per share from the same quarter last year.

The retailer said gross margin in the quarter increased 90 basis points to 41.5% and operating income in retail segment rose 1% to $38.5 million while reported operating loss in credit business of $18.1 million, mainly driven by the level of provision for bad debts.

The Children''s Place, Inc ((PLCE)) surged 7.2% or $3.49 to $52.25 after the children''s specialty apparel retailer said net sales in the third-quarter ending in October slumped 6.4% from a year ago to $455.9 million.

Comparable store sales in the quarter dropped 3%.

Net income in the quarter jumped 4.3% to $38.5 million or $1.88 per diluted share compared to $36.9 million or $1.70 per share from the same quarter last year.

For the fourth-quarter, the company forecasted diluted earnings per share between 93 cents and $1.03.

The retailer estimated diluted earnings per share for the year in the range of $3.35 to $3.45.

Casey''s General Stores Inc ((CASY)) gained 61 cents to $120.62 after the convenience stores operator stated total revenues in the second-quarter ending in October slumped 10.7% from a year ago to $1.92 billion.

Net income in the quarter soared 58.3% to $79 million or $2 per diluted share compared to $49.9 million or $1.28 per share from the same quarter last year.

HD Supply Holdings Inc ((HDS)) plummeted 4.2% or $1.31 to $30.22 after the industrial products distributor reported net sales in the third-quarter ending on November 1 increased 5% from a year ago to $2 billion.

Net income in the quarter soared to $268 million or $1.24 per diluted share compared to $57 million or 30 cents per share from the same quarter last year.

The company forecasted net sales for the fourth-quarter in the range of $1.62 billion to $1.67 billion and operating profit between $160 million and $170 million while diluted earnings per share in the range of 21 cents to 26 cents.

Toll Brothers Inc ((TOL)) dropped 3.1% or $1.18 to $36.34 after the luxury residential home developer said revenues in the fourth-quarter ending in October rose 6.6% from a year ago to $4.17 billion.

Net income in the quarter surged 6.8% to $363 million or $1.97 per diluted share compared to $340 million or $1.84 per share from the same quarter last year.

United Natural Foods, Inc ((UNFI)) tumbled 16.1% or $7.11 to $36.92 after the specialty foods distributor stated revenues in the first-quarter ending in October gained 4.2% from a year ago to $2.08 billion.

Net income in the quarter plummeted 8.8% to $30.1 million or 60 cents per diluted share compared to $33 million or 66 cents per share from the same quarter last year.

The company lifted net sales forecast for the year in the range of $8.43 billion to $8.59 billion, an increase of 3% to 5% from a year ago period and diluted earnings per share between $2.73 and $2.84.