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What: Shares of Francesca's Holdings Corp (FRAN) were heading south today, falling as much as 17% on a disappointing fourth-quarter earnings report.
So what: The boutique chain posted a profit of $0.27 per share, short of estimates at $0.29, while revenue increased 6.2% to $92.1 million, short of expectations at $95.7 million. Management cited poor weather for the underwhelming performance, noting it experienced 370 full and partial store closures during in January. Meanwhile, same-store sales fell 6%, lapping a 10% increase the year before.
Now what: Guidance for the current quarter was also disappointing as the company sees EPS of $0.20-$0.24 against estimates of $0.28 as last quarter's hangover carries over. Management explained that the problems in January are "impacting our ability to clear through seasonal fall and winter products and resulting in the delay of spring season full-price selling." It also said expects soft traffic to continue. Still, full-year EPS guidance was within expectations at $1.16-$1.31 as management expects a stronger second half of the year, indicating these problems are likely just temporary.
