Can Finish Line Keep the Recovery Alive?

By Chris Lange Published Jun 26, 9:25AM EDT

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Finish Line Inc. (NASDAQ: FINL) released its fiscal first-quarter financial results before the markets opened Friday. The running retailer reported $0.30 in earnings per share (EPS) on $443.4 million in revenue. That compared to Thomson Reuters consensus estimates of $0.24 in EPS on $429.83 million in revenue. The same period from the previous year had $0.28 in EPS on $406.53 million in revenue.

The company gave guidance for the 2016 fiscal year in which it expects comparable sales to be up in the low-single to mid-single digit range and for EPS to be $1.67. There are consensus estimates of $1.76 in EPS on $1.92 billion in revenue.

During this past quarter, the company repurchased 1.25 million shares of common stock, totaling $31.3 million. The company has 5.0 million shares remaining on its current repurchase authorization.

At the end of May, Finish Line had no interest-bearing debt and $82.2 million in cash and cash equivalents.

Glenn Lyon, chairman and CEO of Finish Line, commented on earnings:

Fiscal 2016 is off to a solid start. We’re delivering an enhanced customer experience with our commitment to offering latest and greatest merchandise assortments and providing world class service. We will continue to drive consistent growth and increased profitability across each of our divisions with focus on our customer-centric operating model. We are confident these strategies will translate into greater value for our shareholders over the long-term.

So far Finish Line has had a strong 2015. Shares are up nearly 12% year to date, though they are still 9% lower in the past 52 weeks.

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Shares of Finish Line closed Thursday down 0.2% at $27.00. In early trading indications Friday, shares were up 7.4% at $29.00. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $26.87 and a 52-week trading range of $22.40 to $31.90.

About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.