Foot Locker shares plummet after lackluster second-quarter guidance
Foot Locker Inc. stock plummeted more than 16% in Friday trading after the athletic retailer missed on first-quarter profit and sales and gave a lackluster look forward. Calling the second quarter "just sort of not very exciting," Foot Locker Chief Executive Richard Johnson also said changes to merchandise plans would make the period even more dull. "So, the biggest shift in the second quarter is related to products that we now know are shifting out of the quarter," he said, according to a FactSet transcript. "It's a very normal course of business that we have puts and takes." But analysts at Baird reacted to the "disappointing setback" by removing their "Fresh Pick" rating from Foot Locker stock and cutting the price target to $62 from $77. Still, Baird rates Foot Locker stock outperform. "While highly disappointed by the FQ1 update/outlook, we still think Foot Locker is well positioned to benefit from an improving footwear cycle (especially as a key differentiated partner for Nike) allowing for continued strong comps and improving margin visibility over the next several quarters," the note said. Meanwhile, competing athletic retailer Hibbett Sports Inc. stock soared 22.4% after better-than-expected quarterly results. Hibbett shares have gained 69.5% for the year to date. Foot Locker stock is down 18% for the period. And the S&P 500 index is up 12.8% for 2019 so far.
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