As the Dow and Nasdaq both tumbled more than a percent Thursday, one stock in particular stood out among the crowd for its green-hued stock price: home furnisher Ethan Allen (NYSE: ETH).
In and of itself, that seems strange. But wait -- the mystery deepens. Just three weeks ago, rival furniture maker Hooker Furniture (Nasdaq: HOFT) reported an earnings decline. Just a few days ago, another rival, this time Stanley Furniture (Nasdaq: STLY), missed analyst earnings estimates and took a 10% haircut. So with the entire furniture industry in the doldrums, why might it be that investors are getting bullish in anticipation of Ethan Allen's earnings report, due out on Monday?
Perhaps it's because not everyone has been doing badly, even in this apparently lousy year for sofa-selling. Bassett (Nasdaq: BSET) sells furniture too, after all. Yet at the same time that Hooker was delivering bad news, Bassett was tucking its shareholders in and reading them a bedtime story of 60% profits growth. Investors seem to think that, come Monday, Ethan Allen will resemble the tail wagging along after that dog.
They may well be proven right. According to analysts tracking the stock, Ethan Allen is expected to post revenues of about $237 million for its third quarter, and profits of $0.54 per diluted share. For its part, Ethan Allen agrees, terming analysts' predicted earnings range of $0.53 to $0.56 "reasonable and achievable."
Just don't be shocked when the numbers that Ethan Allen actually produces on Monday seem to fall far short of those estimates. In a Sept.12 press release, Ethan Allen CEO Farooq Kathwari pointed out that the analyst estimates do not account for an expected one-time restructuring charge that the company will take in its third quarter. That charge, likely between $0.07 and $0.09 per share, will result in the company showing a decline in net income against the $0.51 profit that Ethan Allen reported one year ago.
One final note, aimed especially at Foolish investors. Like all too many public companies, Ethan Allen doesn't provide a cash flow statement with its earnings releases. It does, however, provide the information you'd most likely seek on that document. Come Monday, scroll down past the prose portion of the earnings release, and seek out a chart labeled " Selected Consolidated Financial Data." That's where you'll find the "cash from operations" (which Ethan Allen terms "operating cash flow") and "capital expenditures" numbers needed to calculate free cash flow.
For more on Ethan Allen, pull up a chair and read:
Both Hooker Furniture and Stanley Furniture are Motley Fool Hidden Gems recommendations. Sign up now for afree trialto Hidden Gems, and you'll have access to this month's formal recommendations, the Watch List, and to Tiny Gems, as well as full access to all of our past picks.
The Motley Fool has kicked off its ninth annual Foolanthropy campaign! Nominate your favorite charities on our Foolanthropy discussion boardthrough Nov. 1. For guidelines on what makes a charity Foolish, visitwww.foolanthropy.com.
Fool contributor
Rich Smith
owns shares of Hooker Furniture, but of no other company named above. The Fool has an ironclad disclosure policy.
Terms & Conditions
RSS Headlines
Fool UK