How International Growth Impacted Starbucks Earnings
Starbucks reported in-line fiscal first-quarter results Thursday after the markets closed.
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Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) reported its fiscal first-quarter results Thursday after the markets closed as $0.80 in earnings per share on $4.8 billion in revenue. That was against Thomson Reuters consensus estimates of $0.80 in earnings per share and $4.8 billion in revenue. The first quarter from the previous year had $0.71 in earnings per share and $4.24 billion in revenue.
The company gave guidance for the fiscal 2015 full year. Revenue growth is expected to be 16% to 18% and global comparable store sales growth is expected to be in the mid-single digits. Operating margin is expected to be flat to slightly up over the prior year.
In the fiscal first quarter of the previous year, global comparable store sales increased by 5%, with a 2% increase in traffic. Comparable sales in the Americas mirrored global comparable sales, while Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) comparable sales grew 4%, driven by a 3% increase in traffic. China and Asia Pacific (CAP) reported a sales increase of 8%, which was driven entirely by increased traffic.
Operating margin increased to 19.5%, up 80 basis points from the same period in the previous year.
The company reported comparable store customer transactions increased by almost 9 million in the United States and by about 12 million globally, year-over-year. In the first quarter the coffee giant opened 512 net new stores.
Scott Maw, CFO of Starbucks, commented on the fiscal first quarter:
Starbucks results in the first quarter of fiscal 2015 were very strong, with notable growth across the globe. All segments contributed to our record results in the quarter, with improved traffic growth in the US, record profitability in EMEA and 8% comps in CAP. Our continued ability to drive growth through innovation, operational excellence and our unique customer connection, along with our sharp focus on financial discipline, give us confidence in reaffirming our growth targets for fiscal 2015.
Morgan Stanley weighed in on Starbucks in the first half of January, maintaining an Overweight rating and raising its price target to $97 from $88. This implies upside of 19% from Wednesday’s close. The highest listed analyst price target is $100.
Shares of Starbucks closed Thursday up 1.8% at $82.74. After earnings were released, shares were up 4% at $85.96 in post-market trading. The company’s stock has a consensus analyst price target of $91.14 and a 52-week trading range of $67.93 to $84.20.
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Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.
His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.
When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.
