PetSmart
Not only do I like the bottom-line gain here, but I like the fact that margins improved across the board, both on a reported and on an adjusted basis. Same-store sales increased a decent 4%, and the core pet business grew 5% at comparable locations once you strip out the State Line Tack business. Pet service revenues really expanded, jumping more than 19%.
People do love their pets, and they love having a niche retailer to hang out at that can serve all their needs. In fact, management seems pretty confident about the potential of its stores: It opened a net 38 new locations during the quarter and has authorized a new share buyback plan. Sure, you can get pet supplies at places like Wal-Mart
Let's get to valuation. OK, management believes between $2.08 and $2.10 per share is doable, but there is a caveat here -- PetSmart is expecting proceeds of $0.47 per share from the sale of some of the shares it owns in MMI Holdings, as discussed in the latest 10-K. So if we subtract $0.47 from $2.08, we get $1.61. Based on yesterday's closing price, this would give PetSmart's stock a P/E of 18.8. Analysts expect the retailer to grow perhaps 17% on a go-forward basis, according to Yahoo! Finance. On a PEG basis, that implies a valuation that, while certainly not exorbitant, isn't necessarily undervalued.
I like PetSmart's prospects. Again, people love their pets, and they're willing to spend money to pamper them. I don't think the valuation is too out of whack right now, but as always, perform your own due diligence.
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Go fetch more articles:
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- PetSmart: A Doggie Paradise
- Fool on Call: PetSmart Gets Smarter
Fool contributor Steven Mallas owns none of the companies mentioned. As of this writing, he was ranked 5,675 out of more than 60,000 investors in the Motley Fool CAPS system. Don't know what CAPS is? Check it out. The Fool has a disclosure policy.