U.S. Movers: AeroVironment, CrowdStrike, Nordstrom, Target

Scott Peters
05 Mar, 2025
New York City

Nordstrom Inc. gained 0.6% to $24.39 after the full-line merchandise retailer surpassed analyst expectations in the fiscal fourth quarter ending on February 1 of 2025.

Net sales declined to $4.20 billion from $4.29 billion, net earnings increased to $165 million from $134 million, and earnings per diluted share jumped to 97 cents from 82 cents a year ago.

The company opened 23 stores during the year.

During the fourth quarter, Nordstrom closed one store and three Rack stores, and subsequent to the quarter-end, the company closed one local service hub, which will reopen as a storefront dedicated to personal styling.

Fourth-quarter total comparable sales increased 4.7%, banner comparable sales increased 5.3%, and rack comparable sales increased 3.5% versus fiscal 2023.

The company proposed a quarterly cash dividend of 19 cents per share, payable on March 26 to shareholders on record as of March 11.

AeroVironment Inc. plunged 20% to $113.50 after the provider of robotic systems to defense and commercial customers reported results for the fiscal third quarter of 2025.

Revenue declined to $139.75 million from $155.92 million, net income swung to a loss of $1.75 million from a profit of $13.88 million, and net loss per diluted share was 6 cents compared to a profit of 50 cents a year ago.

The company guided for fiscal 2025 revenue between $780 million and $795 million, compared to $716.7 million a year ago, and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share between $2.92 and $3.13, compared to 43 cents in 2024.

Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA is estimated between $135 million and $142 million, compared to $22.2 million in 2024.

Target Corp. gained 0.4% to $117.61 after the large-format store chain operator reported fourth-quarter comparable sales growth of 1.5%, reflecting steady traffic and digital performance.

Net sales in the fourth quarter ending on February 1 dropped 3.1% to $30.91 billion from $31.92 billion, net earnings declined to $1.10 billion from $1.38 billion, and earnings per diluted share fell to $2.41 from $2.98 a year ago.

Fourth-quarter comparable sales advanced 1.5%, as digital comparable sales grew 8.7% from a year ago.

Same-day delivery powered by Target Circle 360™ grew more than 25% compared to last year.

Comparable sales in apparel and hardlines accelerated by nearly 4% as compared to the third quarter.

The company guided for fiscal 2025 net sales growth of around 1%, based on flat comparable sales growth.

Target expects a “modest increase” in its operating margin rate compared to full-year 2024, an effective tax rate between 23% and 24%, and GAAP and adjusted earnings per share between $8.80 and $9.80, compared to $8.86 in 2024.

Target paid dividends of $513 million in the fourth quarter, up 1.8% from $508 million last year.

In addition, the company repurchased $506 million of its shares, retiring 3.7 million shares at an average price of $136.89, and as of the end of the fourth quarter, Target had $8.7 billion in remaining repurchase authorization since the program’s approval in August 2021.

CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. dropped 9.3% to $353.80 after the cybersecurity solutions provider reported results for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2025 ending in January.

Revenue increased to $1.06 billion from $845.33 million, net income swung to a loss of $92.73 million from a profit of $54.94 million, and loss per diluted share was 37 cents compared to a profit of 22 cents a year ago.

The company guided for the first quarter of 2026 revenue between $1.10 billion and $1.11 billion, compared to $921 million a year ago, and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share between 64 cents and 66 cents, compared to 93 cents in the same period in 2025.

Non-GAAP net income is expected to be between $173.1 million and $180 million, compared to $231.7 million in the first quarter of 2025.

The company agreed to bring AI-powered cloud security to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.