Shoe Carnival Stock Soars Nearly 24% on a Robust Q4
What happened?
Shares of Shoe Carnival (NASDAQ: SCVL), a leading retailer of moderately priced footwear and accessories, rocketed nearly 24% Wednesday morning after releasing strong fourth-quarter fiscal 2018 results.
So what
Net sales in the fourth quarter reached $234.7 million, down slightly from the prior year's $243.2 million. But there's more to those figures than meets the eye: The fourth quarter of 2018 had 13 weeks in the result, compared with the prior year's 14 weeks. The net effect of the extra week was approximately $15.2 million, making the 2018 fourth-quarter result better than it appears. Comparable-store sales checked in with a 4.7% increase, blowing past analysts' estimates of a 3.8% gain. Adjusted EPS of $0.11 easily topping analysts' estimates of $0.06.
In a press release, CEO Cliff Sifford said:
Now what
The keys to Shoe Carnival's strong fourth quarter were none other than women's boots. In fact, the robust demand in boots increased merchandise margin in the category by 90 basis points, and drove better-than-expected comps. The company seems well positioned to benefit from women's boots as well as momentum in athletic footwear. Management expects fiscal 2019 sales in the range of $1.035 billion to $1.04 billion and EPS between $2.60 and $2.70.
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Daniel Miller has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.