© Reuters
Investing.com — Apparel maker Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:) jumped after beating expectations for revenue, though its third-quarter outlook was below consensus targets when it reported after the close on Wednesday.
The company adjusted earnings of 72 cents a share on revenue of $664.5 million. Analysts expected earnings per share of 40 cents on revenue of $640.5M. Revenue was up 3% from the same time last year.
CEO Carlos Alberini said: “We are very pleased with our second quarter performance, which exceeded our expectations for top-line growth and delivered a significant beat in operating earnings and earnings per share for the period. Our international businesses continued to perform strongly with robust revenue growth and our Americas Retail business achieved a sequential improvement in performance compared to the first quarter, as we drove better customer conversion in stores.”
It sees third quarter adjusted earnings per share of 55 cents to 64 cents and revenue rising 2.5% to 4.5%. Analysts expected third quarter earnings per share of 71 cents.
For the full year, the company sees adjusted earnings per share of $2.88 to $3.08 and revenue rising 2.5% to 4.0% versus prior guidance of 2-4%.
GES shares rose more than 18% in early Thursday trading.
Reacting to the report, UBS analysts told investors that while it was a good quarter, they are maintaining a Neutral rating and $22 price target on the stock.
“GEs delivered a beat and raise Q2 report. This reinforces our view the company is on the right path to stabilize operating margins while delivering LSD% sales growth,” they wrote. “However, we believe a challenging retail environment will negatively impact GES’ Americas business and cause its 2H23 EPS growth to slow.”
Assessing GES’s nearer-term prospects, the analysts stated that the firm doubts the company’s P/E will expand in a decelerating sales environment.
“We forecast a 5% 5-yr. EPS CAGR and believe this outlook is fairly priced. We thus continue to rate it Neutral,” they concluded.
(Additional reporting by Sam Boughedda)
