June Retail Sales May Be Softer Than Expected

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.

Retailers are announcing June U.S. same-store sales figures Thursday. Research firm Retail Metrics projected an overall gain of 4.9% year-over-year, marking the largest monthly gain since January 2013. After the weather-related sales weakness in the first three months of the year, April, May and June have all produced strong gains.

The number of retailers reporting same-store sales has declined significantly over the past few years, but the reported numbers do provide a kind of interim report on the quarter’s performance of the country’s retailers. Discount retailer Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) reported mixed quarterly earnings Thursday morning before the markets opened. Here is a rundown on stores that have reported sales this morning:

Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) reported same-store sales for June rose 6%, equal to the increased posted in May. That is higher than the Retail Metrics estimate for a gain of 5%, including gasoline sales. Net sales for the month totaled $10.89 billion.

L Brands Inc. (NYSE: LB) said same-store sales for June rose 2% compared with last year. Retail Metrics had estimated a rise of 2.7%. L Brands operates Victoria’s Secret, Pink, Bath & Body Works, La Senza and Henri Bendel stores. Net sales rose 7% to $1.18 billion in June.

ALSO READ: America’s Most Popular Stores

Buckle Inc. (NYSE: BKE) reported same-store sales for June rose 0.7% compared with the same period a year ago. The Retail Metrics estimate called for a drop of 0.5%. Net sales increased 2.8% and totaled $84.8 million for the month.

Stein Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRT) reported a 2.6% increase in same-store sales for June, slightly below the 2.7% positive growth estimate from Retail Metrics. In June of last year, sales rose 6.5%. Total sales for June came in at $113.2 million, up 3.8% from a year ago.

Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) posted a same-store sales increase of 3.1% for June. Retail Metrics estimated a rise of 2.2%. Total sales for the month were $65.3 million, up 11.1% over June of 2013. Zumiez also raised its guidance and now expects fiscal 2014 second-quarter sales in the range of $174 million to $176 million and net income per diluted share of approximately $0.19 to $0.21, an increase from the previously issued guidance of sales in the range of $167 million to $171 million and net income per diluted share of approximately $0.12 to $0.16.

Costco shares were down about 0.1% in premarket trading Thursday to $117.80. The stock’s 52-week range is $109.50 to $126.12.

L Brands shares were inactive, having closed at $61.86 on Wednesday, in a 52-week range of $50.08 to $67.16.

Stein Mart shares were also inactive and closed at $13.97 Wednesday, in a 52-week range of $11.53 to $16.17.

Zumiez’s shares traded up about 7% in the premarket at $30.00, after closing at $28.00 Wednesday, in a 52-week range of $20.68 to $31.31.

The Buckle’s shares were also inactive and closed at $45.84, in a 52-week range of $41.45 to $57.68.

ALSO READ: America’s Nine Most Damaged Brands

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