Foot Locker (FL) plunges 26% as 2024 earnings guidance falls short

Foot Locker (NYSE: FL) saw its shares plummet 26% at Wednesday’s market open after the company’s full-year earnings guidance missed analyst expectations.

The sportswear and footwear retailer posted an EPS of $0.38 for the fiscal Q4 2023, topping the consensus estimates of $0.31. Revenue came in at $2.38 billion, also outperforming the forecasted $2.27 billion.

Comparable sales slightly declined by 0.7%, notably better than the anticipated drop of 7.12%.

The company's gross margin decreased by 350 basis points, while analysts expected a 330 bps decline.

Looking forward to FY2024, Foot Locker anticipates an EPS ranging from $1.50 to $1.70, below the expected $1.91.

The company predicts comparable sales growth of 1% to 3%, against an estimate of +1.31%.

In addition, it expects sales to vary between a 1% decrease and a 1% increase, and projects a gross margin of 29.8% to 30%, surpassing the expected 28.9%.

Citi analysts reiterated a Sell rating on FL after the report.

“The F24 outlook suggests mgmt plans to spend money to grow (which is risky if top line doesn’t play out),” analysts led by Paul Lejuez wrote.

“With no 1Q guidance provided, any commentary around 1Q outlook/QTD trends will be important for how shares ultimately perform today,” they added.

By Vahid Karaahmetovic

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