April Retail Sales Show Surprising Strength

Photo of Paul Ausick
By Paul Ausick Updated Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

blue jeans
Thinkstock
Retailers are announcing April U.S. same-store sales figures Thursday. Research firm Retail Metrics projected an overall gain of 3.9% year-over-year, but results came in far better — up 6%. The combined two-month gain for March and April came to 4.8% as the late Easter holiday and better weather, among other factors, lifted April same-store sales to their biggest one-month gain since September 2011.

Here is a rundown on stores that have reported sales:

Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) reported same-store sales for April rose 5% compared with April 2013. That is higher than the Retail Metrics estimate for a gain of 4.2%, including gasoline sales. Net sales for the month totaled $8.56 billion.

L Brands Inc. (NYSE: LB) said same-store sales for April jumped 8% compared with last year. Retail Metrics had estimated a rise of 4%. L Brands operates Victoria’s Secret, Pink, Bath & Body Works, La Senza and Henri Bendel stores. Net sales rose 9% to $717.6 million in April.

The Buckle Inc. (NYSE: BKE) reported same-store sales for April rose 0.8% compared with the same period a year ago. The Retail Metrics estimate called for a drop of 0.8%. Net sales rose 2.4% and totaled $75.6 million for the month.

Stein Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRT) reported an 8.9% increase in same-store sales for April, well above the 3% positive growth estimate from Retail Metrics. In April of last year, sales rose 8%. Total sales for April came in at $108.1 million, compared with sales of $99.3 million in April 2013.

Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) posted a same-store sales increase of 8.2% for April. Retail Metrics estimated a rise of 1%. Last April the company posted a gain of 4.6% in same-store sales. Total sales for the month were $50.6 million, up 17.6% over April of 2013.

Costco shares were up 2.3% Thursday morning to $114.58. The stock’s 52-week range is $107.38 to $126.12.

L Brands shares were up 5.5% to $56.27, in a 52-week range of $48.76 to $67.12.

Stein Mart’s shares were up 5.9% to $12.88, in a 52-week range of $9.03 to $16.17.

Zumiez shares traded up 13.2%, at $28.10 in a 52-week range of $20.68 to $33.50.

Buckle’s shares were up 0.9%, as $47.12 in a 52-week range of $41.45 to $56.32.

ALSO READ: The Best-Selling Products of All Time

Photo of Paul Ausick
About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for a673b.bigscoots-temp.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.

Featured Reads

Our top personal finance-related articles today. Your wallet will thank you later.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618