Shares of Zumiez tumble after shockingly weak guidance
Zumiez shares tumbled Friday after the company issued a significantly weaker-than-expected first-quarter forecast.
The skateboard apparel retailer projected a loss of 17 cents to 21 cents a share for its fiscal first quarter, far below the 3-cent loss per share expected by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. The Washington-based company estimates revenue to be between $178 million and $182 million.
Shares of Zumiez dropped more than 15 percent Friday afternoon to hit their lowest levels in more than five months. The stock was the worst performer in the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT), which traded slightly higher Friday.
The stock closed down Friday little-more-than 12 percent, right above $18 per share.
Zumiez shares 5-day performance
The disappointing guidance came despite the retailer reporting a fourth-quarter earnings and revenue beat on Thursday.
Zumiez posted adjusted earnings of 74 cents per share on revenue of $263.6 million, up 8.7 percent year-over-year. A consensus of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters estimated earnings of 66 cents per share on revenue of $260 million.
Comparable sales for February fell 3 percent, versus expectations of 3 percent growth, according to Reuters.
"We are pleased with our finish to the year especially in light of the headwinds facing the retail industry," Zumiez CEO Rick Brooks said in a press release on Thursday.
"Looking ahead, our primary focus remains on executing the strategic multi-year growth objectives... it is this focus that will allow us to successfully navigate through the current environment, including the impact that certain events are having on our monthly sales cadence in early 2017," Brooks added.
With Friday's losses, shares slid more than 19 percent over the last 12 months, versus retail ETF's 6 percent decline.