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What happened
Shares of Office Depot, Inc. (ODP -0.06%), a global provider of office products, services, and solutions, were soaring 15% as of 1:02 p.m. EDT after the company released its third-quarter results Wednesday morning that offered investors a bottom-line beat.
So what
Looking at the top line, things appeared pretty rough for the third quarter: Revenue fell 6.9% to $2.84 billion during the third quarter. That result was far below the consensus estimate of $3.49 billion. But the positive reaction from investors came from the company's bottom-line beat. Office Depot's profit jumped to $44 million, or $0.08 per share, thanks to cost cutting and a tax benefit. Adjusted earnings were $0.16 per share, ahead of analysts' estimates of $0.15 per share.
"We also realigned our organization to create a more efficient and effective operating structure that is focused on aggressively implementing a number of growth and profitability initiatives in our North American business," said Roland Smith, Office Depot chariman and chief executive officer, in a press release. "We are recovering quickly from the disruption caused by the protracted Staples acquisition attempt, and I'm very pleased with both our progress and financial results."
Now what
Despite the surprise third-quarter profit beat, this appears to still be a business in turmoil. Office Depot is selling its European business and plans to close roughly 300 stores over the next three years. It faces a brutal combo of less office supply demand from businesses at a time when more businesses can effectively order online or even use substitute "suppliers" such as Wal-Mart.
The company is making moves to cut costs by shedding overhead and retail stores and selling off international business. And while management is quick to highlight that its customer commitments checked in at a two-year high during the third quarter, it's difficult to buy into a growth story here. Office Depot's best days are long behind it, and that 10-year graph above says a thousand words to that effect.
