Retail

Urban Outfitters Earnings Hurt by Lower Markups, Higher Markdowns

Clothes on hangers
Source: thinkstock
Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) reported third-quarter fiscal 2015 results after markets closed Monday afternoon. The specialty retailer reported diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.35 and $814 million in revenues. In the same period a year ago, the company reported EPS of $0.51 on revenue of $774.05 million. Third-quarter results also compare to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates for EPS of $0.41 and $813.05 million in revenue.

Same-store sales, including direct-to-consumer sales, declined 1% year-over-year in the quarter. Same-store sales were up 15% at the company’s Free People stores and 2% at the Anthropologie stores. Sales at the namesake stores were down 7%.

Third-quarter sales were the highest in the company’s history for a third quarter, but gross profit dropped nearly 3%, from $292.29 million to $283.52 million, primarily due to lower initial merchandise markup followed by higher markdowns at the stores and store occupancy expense deleverage due to negative store comparable net sales, which were all primarily driven by the poor performance at the Urban Outfitters brand.

The company said it bought back 3.9 million shares in its third quarter and has 6.1 million shares remaining in its current repurchase authorization.

Urban Outfitters did not offer guidance, but the consensus estimates for the fourth quarter call for EPS of $0.62 on revenues of $979.63 million. For the full year, analysts are expecting EPS of $1.77 on revenues of $3.29 billion. Urban Outfitters issued an earnings warning on October 16 that fourth-quarter profits may be hurt by lower-than-expected sales.

The company’s stated goal to double sales by 2020 suggests a compound annual growth rate of around 15%, which is about double the company’s projected revenue growth this year compared to last year.

Shares were down about 5.2% in after-hours trading Monday, at $29.25 in a 52-week range of $29.11 to $40.67. Thomson Reuters had a consensus analyst price target of $37.10 before the results were announced.

ALSO READ: 10 Stores Closed on Thanksgiving

Smart Investors Are Quietly Loading Up on These “Dividend Legends” (Sponsored)

If you want your portfolio to pay you cash like clockwork, it’s time to stop blindly following conventional wisdom like relying on Dividend Aristocrats. There’s a better option, and we want to show you. We’re offering a brand-new report on 2 stocks we believe offer the rare combination of a high dividend yield and significant stock appreciation upside. If you’re tired of feeling one step behind in this market, this free report is a must-read for you.

Click here to download your FREE copy of “2 Dividend Legends to Hold Forever” and start improving your portfolio today.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.