Whole Foods, Whole Earnings (WFMI, UNFI)

Whole Foods (NASDAQ:WFMI) is trading up in after-hours following the company’s earnings report.  It posted 1.743 Billion revenues, and earnings were listed as $0.24 EPS (but that appears to be after $0.10 for pre-open and relocation stores and $0.04 in options).  First Call had estimates at $0.30 EPS and $1.61 Billion in revenues.  Its same store sales for the quarter were up 8%.

The company also boosted its quarterly dividend to $0.20 per share and now sees 25% to 30% sales growth in Fiscal 2008 with another gain in comparable sales between 7.5% to 9.5%.  The high end consumer is still alive and isn’t being driven back to cheaper food.  Other metrics:

• The Company expects to open a comparable number of new stores in fiscal year 2008 as in fiscal year 2007.
• Capital expenditures for the fiscal year are expected to be in the range of $575 million to $625 million.
• The Company currently operates 269 stores totaling 9.3 million square feet and has 87 stores in development totaling 4.5 million square feet.
• Longer term, the Company’s goal is to reach $12 billion in sales in fiscal year 2010.

Shares closed down 1.8% at $42.25 today, but shares are now up over 7% to $45.32 in after-hours. This could have been somewhat seen if you follow the supply chain with others today, although the internal metrics and guidance was of course a wild card.  This follows the 6.6% rise in shares of United Natural Foods (NASDAQ:UNFI) today after its own earnings.

Jon C. Ogg
November 20, 2007