Foot Locker shares soar on huge earnings beat and on retailer's optimism for 2H

Foot Locker shares soared 9% in premarket trading Friday after the company crushed analysts’ fiscal second-quarter earnings estimates and voiced optimism about the back half of the year.

Consumers have continued to spend on athletic footwear and workout apparel during the Covid pandemic, with these segments outperforming others such as dress wear and high heels. Now, parents are budgeting their paychecks to buy new Nike and Adidas sneakers for their kids who are preparing to head back to school.

Foot Locker reported net income for the quarter ended July 31 of $430 million, or $4.09 per share, compared with $45 million, or 43 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time gains, the company earned $2.21 per share. Analysts polled by Refinitiv were looking for adjusted earnings per share of $1.01.

Revenue surged 9.5% to $2.28 billion from $2.08 billion a year earlier. That topped expectations for $2.09 billion.

Foot Locker’s comparable-store sales rose 6.9%. Analysts polled by StreetAccount had been looking for a 0.2% decline.

Chief Executive Richard Johnson said the company saw strong demand in its women’s and kids’ footwear business, in addition to its apparel and accessories segments. Foot Locker also kept promotions in check, fueling profits, he said.

Chief Financial Officer Andrew Page said the retailer remains “cautiously optimistic” about its outlook for the second half of the year.

“Recognizing we are still operating in an uncertain environment due to Covid-19, we continue to keep a close eye on the business, including temporary store closures and supply chain challenges,” he said in the news release.

Earlier this month, Foot Locker announced plans to buy two smaller shoe store chains for about $1.1 billion cash to extend its reach outside malls and into Asia.

Foot Locker shares are up about 35% year to date. The company’s market cap is $5.63 billion.

Find the full earnings press release from Foot Locker here.