This article is part of our Rising Star Portfolio series.
Whole Foods Market's (Nasdaq: WFM) fourth-quarter results contained a pinch of disappointment, but take any bearish sentiment with a grain of sea salt. The organic grocer is still going strong in the generally ugly, cutthroat grocery sector.
Fourth-quarter net income increased 31% to $75.5 million, or $0.42 per share. Revenue increased 12% over last year's third quarter to $2.4 billion, and same-store sales surged 8.7%. Although Whole Foods' revenue was a tad lighter than analysts' expectations, investors must remember these are perfectly decent numbers, especially given the difficult economic climate for grocers in general.
Compare Whole Foods' "disappointing" quarter to SUPERVALU's (NYSE: SVU) most recent quarterly results. Revenue dropped 3%, and same-store sales fell 1.8%. Although supermarket giants Safeway (NYSE: SWY) and Kroger (NYSE: KR) boasted sales increases in their most recent quarterly announcements, they were not nearly as impressive as Whole Foods'.
Food inflation is a major cloud of future uncertainty that hovers over the grocery sector. Conventional grocers may end up in a race to the bottom when it comes to offering groceries at prices shoppers will be willing to pay.
Whole Foods faces similar challenges, of course, but its more affluent clientele tend to be more resilient in the face of economic difficulties. Most important, its more lofty missions help differentiate it from conventional rivals and low-price grocery peddlers such as Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT).
And what about the fact that Whole Foods generated $66.3 million in free cash flow in the quarter, and announced its plan to boost its quarterly dividend by 40% to $0.14 per share? Seriously, folks, there's little to complain about here.
Whole Foods' competitive strengths made it a perfect fit for my Rising Star portfolio in May. Even though it currently trades at about 30 times forward earnings, its lofty mission, smart management, differentiated business, and room for future store growth give it a major advantage over supposedly "cheaper" grocery rivals' stocks. Whole Foods' traditionally premium price reflects a cartload of future growth potential.
If you want to follow the sector and its challenges, add these companies to your watchlist:
- Add Whole Foods Market to My Watchlist.
- Add Wal-Mart Stores to My Watchlist.
- Add Safeway to My Watchlist.
- Add SUPERVALU to My Watchlist.
- Add Kroger to My Watchlist.
