Tag Archives: Bed Bath Beyond

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Bed Bath & Beyond Beats on Revenue, Matches Expectations on EPS

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By Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool

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Bed Bath & Beyond (NAS: BBBY) reported earnings on April 10. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended March 2 (Q4), Bed Bath & Beyond beat slightly on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded significantly. GAAP earnings per share increased.

Margins shrank across the board.

Revenue details
 Bed Bath & Beyond reported revenue of $3.40 billion. The 24 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see net sales of $3.35 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 24% higher than the prior-year quarter’s $2.73 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
 EPS came in at $1.68. The 27 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $1.68 per share. GAAP EPS of $1.68 for Q4 were 14% higher than the prior-year quarter’s $1.48 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
 For the quarter, gross margin was 41.0%, 160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 17.6%, 260 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.0%, 180 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
 Next quarter’s average estimate for revenue is $2.59 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.94.

Next year’s average estimate for revenue is $11.68 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.02.

Investor sentiment

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Bed Bath & Beyond is outperform, with an average price target of $69.13.

Is Bed Bath & Beyond the right retailer for your portfolio? Learn how to maximize your investment income and “Secure Your Future With 9 Rock-Solid Dividend Stocks,” including one above-average retailing powerhouse. Click here for instant access to this free report.

The article Bed Bath & Beyond Beats on Revenue, Matches Expectations on EPS originally appeared on Fool.com.


Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool recommends Bed Bath & Beyond. Try any of our Foolish newsletter

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/11/bed-bath–beyond-beats-on-revenue-matches-expecta/

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Dow May Open Higher, but HP Could Plunge

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By Roland Head, The Motley Fool

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LONDON — Stock index futures at 7 a.m. EDT indicate that the Dow Jones Industrial Average may open up by 0.11% this morning, while the S&P 500 may open a single point higher. Investors are cautious ahead of today’s jobs figures, but yesterday’s gains helped drive the CNN Fear & Greed Index back into “greed” territory: The sentiment indicator closed at 62 yesterday, up from 53 the previous day.

In Europe, markets edged slightly higher this morning, as the absence of new economic data meant that investors focused on corporate news and renewed hopes for Chinese growth. At 7 a.m. EDT, the FTSE 100 was up 0.32%, Germany’s DAX was up 0.51% and the French CAC 40 was 0.49% higher.

Thursday is jobless-claims day, and last week’s disappointing jobs figures mean investors will be focusing more closely than usual on this key metric when it is published at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Consensus forecasts indicate that 360,000 new jobless claims may have been made last week, down slightly from 385,000 in the previous week. Also due at 8:30 a.m. EDT, March’s import price index is expected to show a 0.5% fall in import prices following a 1.1% rise in February.

Companies due to update the market this morning include Costco Wholesale, which said this morning that like-for-like sales for the five weeks to April 7 rose by 4%, missing a Reuters forecast of 5.2%. Costco’s total sales rose by 7% over the same period to $9.67 billion from $9.07 billion last year. Before the opening bell, quarterly results are expected from Commerce Bancshares, iGate Corporation, Pier 1 Imports, and Rite Aid, among others.

Stocks that could be actively traded this morning include Intel, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft, which all fell heavily in after-hours trading last night following news that global PC sales dropped by 14% during the last quarter. HP shares were 4.1% lower in premarket trading, while Microsoft was down by 3.4% and Intel was 1.9% lower. Housewares retailer Bed Bath & Beyond may also be actively traded after it posted earnings growth of 6.5% in its fiscal fourth quarter but said that earnings for the current quarter would be between $0.88 and $0.94 per share, below consensus forecasts of $0.95 per share. Bed Bath & Beyond shares closed 1.6% higher yesterday and were 1.5% higher in premarket trading this morning.

Finally, let’s not forget that the Dow’s daily movements can add up to serious long-term gains. Indeed, Warren Buffett recently wrote, “The Dow advanced from 66 to 11,497 in the 20th Century, a staggering 17,320% increase that materialized despite four costly wars, a Great Depression and many recessions.” If you, like Buffett, are convinced of the long-term power of the Dow, you should read “5 Stocks to Retire On.” Your long-term wealth could be transformed, even in this uncertain economy. Simply click here now to download this free, no-obligation report.

The article Dow May Open Higher, but HP Could Plunge

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/11/dow-may-open-higher-but-hp-could-plunge/

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Dow May Open Higher After Chinese Imports Beat Expectations

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By Roland Head, The Motley Fool

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LONDON — Stock index futures at 7 a.m. EDT indicate that the Dow Jones Industrial Average may open up by 0.29% this morning, while the S&P 500 may open 0.26% higher. The Dow closed at a new record high of 14,673.46 yesterday, but the CNN Fear & Greed Index remained almost unmoved at 53, or “neutral.”

European markets moved strongly higher this morning after Chinese import and export figures beat analysts’ forecasts. Imports rose by 14.1% in March, while exports rose by 10%, boosting trade hopes for European companies. At 7:20 a.m. EDT, the German DAX was up 1.16%, and the French CAC 40 was 1.18% higher. In London, the FTSE 100 was up 0.76%, helped by a strong showing from mining firms and financial stocks, which collectively make up the majority of the index’s capitalization.

In the U.S. today, investors are likely to focus closely on the minutes of March’s Federal Open Markets Committee meeting, which may provide some insight into the current thinking of the Fed’s interest rate-setting committee. The minutes are due to be published at 2 p.m. EDT, when details of March’s federal budget are also due to be released.

In other news, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported earlier this morning that its weekly mortgage-applications index increased 4.5% following a 4% decline the previous week. The EIA weekly petroleum status report is due at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

Companies due to report quarterly earnings before markets open this morning include Constellation Brands, CarMax, MSC Industrial Direct, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Earlier this morning, Fastenal reported quarterly earnings of $0.37 per share, an 8.8% increase on the same period in 2012. Fastenal also announced a $0.20 cash dividend for the second quarter of 2013.

Stocks that may be actively traded today include Herbalife, which slid nearly 4% before markets closed yesterday after it revealed that its auditor, KPMG, was to resign. The decision is the result of insider-trading allegations against the KPMG partner responsible for auditing the nutritional-supplements company, which is already the subject of a war of words between activist investors Carl Icahn and William Ackman. Trading in J.C. Penney shares may also be heavy after the retailer’s share price slid a further 12% in trading yesterday. The company’s shares have now fallen almost 60% over the last year.

Finally, let’s not forget that the Dow’s daily movements can add up to serious long-term gains. Indeed, Warren Buffett recently wrote, “The Dow advanced from 66 to 11,497 in the 20th Century, a staggering 17,320% increase that materialized despite four costly wars, a Great Depression and many recessions.” If you, like Buffett, are convinced of the long-term power of the Dow, you should read “5 Stocks To Retire On.” Your long-term wealth could be transformed, even in this uncertain economy. Simply click here now to download this free, no-obligation report.

The article Dow May Open Higher After Chinese Imports Beat Expectations originally appeared on Fool.com.

…read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Pier 1 Earnings: An Early Look

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By Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool

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Earnings season has begun, and on Thursday, Pier 1 Imports will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they’ll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you’ll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

Pier 1 has recovered from the brink of collapse during the bear market of 2008 and early 2009, and now, its stock is approaching all-time highs. Will the bounce in the housing market provide the catalyst Pier 1 needs to break to record levels? Let’s take an early look at what’s been happening with Pier 1 over the past quarter and what we’re likely to see in its quarterly report.

Stats on Pier 1

Analyst EPS Estimate

$0.60

Change From Year-Ago EPS

25%

Revenue Estimate

$551.4 million

Change From Year-Ago Revenue

16%

Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters

1

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Will Pier 1 give investors what they want this quarter?
Analysts haven’t budged much on their views of Pier 1’s earnings prospects over the past few months. They’ve held steady on their calls for the most-recent holiday quarter, and they shaved a penny per share from their full-year fiscal 2014 consensus. But the stock has done quite well, rising more than 13% since early January.

The reason for Pier 1’s strong performance lately is pretty simple: Demand for new homes has picked up, and when buyers move into a new home, they tend to buy home furnishings to go with it. Higher-end retailer Williams-Sonoma already announced solid results for its holiday quarter, especially citing growth in its home-furnishings segments as a big contributor to its overall results.

But last month, Pier 1 gave mixed guidance on its holiday quarter. Although it saw same-store sales gain almost 8% for the quarter, its earnings-per-share projections were somewhat disappointing, sending shares temporarily lower. More recently, mixed housing data has left the stock trading more turbulently.

The real key for the entire home-furnishings business is how they respond to the threat of online competition. Bed Bath & Beyond has been relatively slow to ramp up its Internet-based business, and as a result, it was recently named in a study on showrooming as the most vulnerable to online competitors. For its part, Pier 1 has reinvigorated its Internet-based sales recently, creating a barrier against online retailers who could take away its market share.

In Pier 1’s quarterly report, watch closely for signs of where Pier 1’s sales are coming from. If the company can see growth in its Internet business, it will demonstrate further evidence that the retailer has carved out a niche it can defend in the future.

The best investing approach is …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Bed Bath & Beyond Earnings: An Early Look

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By Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool

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Spring is finally here, and a new earnings season is right around the corner. Next Wednesday, Bed Bath & Beyond will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they’ll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you’ll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

Bed Bath & Beyond has become the preeminent big-box retailer specializing in home furnishings and accessories, having beaten out former rival Linens ‘n Things in the bricks-and-mortar portion of the industry. Yet like most retailers, online competition is a big threat. Let’s take an early look at what’s been happening with Bed Bath & Beyond over the past quarter and what we’re likely to see in its quarterly report on Wednesday.

Stats on Bed Bath & Beyond

Analyst EPS Estimate

$1.68

Change From Year-Ago EPS

13.5%

Revenue Estimate

$3.39 billion

Change From Year-Ago Revenue

24%

Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters

3

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Can Bed Bath & Beyond bring home great results?
Analysts have been resolute in their views on Bed Bath & Beyond recently, as they’ve kept their consensus estimates for the retailer’s quarterly earnings stable and kept their full-year views for fiscal 2013 and 2014 close to unchanged. The stock, however, reflects more optimism among investors, with the shares having gained 14% since the beginning of 2013.

Bed Bath & Beyond stands to benefit from the upturn in the housing market that we’ve seen recently. Already, rival Williams-Sonoma , which operates the higher-end Pottery Barn home-furnishings chain, reported extremely strong sales, with its West Elm division showing the strongest results. With Pier 1 also having shown signs of benefiting from the booming market, Bed Bath & Beyond should finally enjoy some macroeconomic tailwinds to support its results.

Many point to home furnishings as an area that’s resistant to online competition, as showrooming for basic household items doesn’t intuitively seem to carry much benefit. But a recent study on showrooming shows that the online threat to Bed Bath & Beyond is very real. The study listed Bed Bath & Beyond as the retailer most at risk of falling prey to Amazon.com . With Amazon’s having developed a smartphone app that lets you immediately see comparable online prices for goods you scan at stores, Bed Bath & Beyond will have to keep prices at least close enough to limit customers’ incentive to wait for an online delivery.

Still, Bed Bath & Beyond has a strong management team that won’t cave in to Amazon without a fight. The acquisition of Cost Plus last year helped bolster its presence in the home-furnishings market, but Bed Bath & Beyond has also recognized …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Williams-Sonoma Earnings: An Early Look

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By Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool

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Earnings season is winding down, with most companies already having reported their quarterly results. But there are still some companies left to report, and Williams-Sonoma is about to release its quarterly earnings. The key to making smart investment decisions with stocks releasing their quarterly reports is to anticipate how they’ll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you’ll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

Premium home furnishings took a back seat to economic necessity during the recession, and even high-quality companies like Williams-Sonoma couldn’t weather the housing storm unscathed. Now that home prices are coming back, can the company follow suit? Let’s take an early look at what’s been happening with Williams-Sonoma over the past quarter and what we’re likely to see in its quarterly report on Tuesday.

Stats on Williams-Sonoma

Analyst EPS Estimate

$1.29

Change From Year-Ago EPS

10.3%

Revenue Estimate

$1.40 billion

Change From Year-Ago Revenue

10.3%

Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters

4

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Will Williams-Sonoma deliver the goods this quarter?
Analysts have generally held their views on Williams-Sonoma fairly stable over the past few months, cutting just a penny per share off earnings estimates for the just-ended quarter and $0.02 per share from their fiscal-year 2014 calls. The shares have done reasonably well, climbing almost 5% since mid-December.

Williams-Sonoma has already given investors some information about the holiday quarter, having given early guidance back in January. The company said that holiday sales rose 4.8%, but fears that net income would come in below expectations sent shares falling after the announcement.

Still, backward-looking numbers tell only part of the story. Throughout the industry, Williams-Sonoma and its rivals are working hard to expand their reach, with Williams-Sonoma moving into the Australian market, where real estate has performed very well. Restoration Hardware has been expanding rapidly, trying to build back up to the levels it reached during the housing boom before tough times forced the company to accept a deal to go private in 2008. It has sacrificed margins in order to accelerate growth. Meanwhile, Bed Bath & Beyond continues to command high margins and holds the leadership role in all-purpose home furnishings for all demographics.

In its quarterly report, watch for Williams-Sonoma to discuss the broad implications of consumer trends among its higher-end customer base, including income tax increases. If the company’s core customers start to retrench, then Williams-Sonoma might have trouble reigniting growth going forward.

The best investing approach is to choose great companies and stick with them for the long term. The Motley Fool’s free report “3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich” names stocks that could help you build long-term wealth and retire well, along with some winning wealth-building …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Green Mountain Coffee Gets No Respect

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By Rick Munarriz, Munarriz, The Motley Fool

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Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is the Rodney Dangerfield of coffee stocks.

Just as Dangerfield crafted an ironically lucrative career telling people that he doesn’t get any respect, the company behind the Keurig single-cup brewing system is still getting dissed even though the shares have more than tripled since bottoming out this past summer.

The latest slam came over the weekend as Barron’s Andrew Bary suggested that Warren Buffett may want to consider snapping up Bed Bath & Beyond . In dismissing the recent same-store sales weakness at the home-goods retailer — up just 1.7% in its fiscal quarter ending in November and pegged to grow between 2% and 4% in the quarter that just ended last month — Bary argues that the K-Cup company may be to blame.

One reason for weaker sales could be flagging interest in Keurig coffee makers made by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Bed Bath is a major seller of them.

Are you getting that? There’s flagging interest in Keurig brewers, and that’s why Bed Bath & Beyond is doing so poorly.

Well, let’s fact-check that salvo.

Back to School 
Bed Bath & Beyond net sales in its November quarter were crummy. Net sales did climb 15%, but 79% of that growth was tied to the June acquisitions of Linen Holdings and Cost Plus. Back out those purchases and organic growth at the namesake chain rose a mere 3% as a result of meager expansion and the 1.7% increase in comps.

By that math, Green Mountain must be doing lousy if “flagging interest” is dragging down Bed Bath & Beyond’s performance.

It’s not, but don’t take my word for it.

Bed Bath & Beyond and Green Mountain don’t have the same fiscal calendar, but we do know that net sales rose 16% during the holiday quarter ending in December and that Green Mountain‘s target net sales growth of 15% to 20% for the entire fiscal year that ends in September. Nothing there seems to match the 3% organic growth at Bed Bath & Beyond during the November quarter of what will likely be net sales growth of less than 5% during the quarter that just ended.

One can argue that Bary did specify brewers — not the popular K-Cup refills — but that doesn’t hold up, either. Green Mountain sold a record 4.95 million Keurig brewers during the holiday quarter, 18% more than it did a year earlier.

Easy Money
Green Mountain investors should be used to this by now. Despite its stellar growth and even its recent buoyant appreciation, the company that owns the single-serve brewing market is often talked down in its own niche.

Remember when the introduction of Starbucks‘ Verismo was supposed to cool Keurig’s popularity? Well, the Verismo rollout last year didn’t dissuade Green Mountain from sticking to its 15% to 20% net sales growth trajectory. Brewer sales were up 14% and K-Cup sales were up 21% in Green Mountain‘s latest …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

News, Politics, Government

NJ man accused of stabbing stranger in store

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Bail is set at $1 million for a New Jersey man accused of stabbing a stranger about a dozen times as she pushed her 5-month-old baby in a stroller at a Bed Bath & Beyond.

Monmouth County prosecutors say 19-year-old Tyrik Haynes of Middletown is also accused of setting fire last month to a cat that was later found dead.

A motive for Thursday’s stabbing is under investigation. The victim remained hospitalized Saturday in critical but stable condition. Her child was not injured in the attack.

Prosecutors had asked a judge to keep Haynes’ bail at $1,050,000 during a hearing Friday. He faces numerous charges, including attempted murder and child endangerment. A public defender representing him declined to comment to reporters after the hearing.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News