BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. shares
BJ,
were falling 2% in Tuesday’s premarket action after the retailer trimmed its full-year outlook amid macroeconomic pressure on its customers. The company recorded fiscal second-quarter net income of $131.3 million, or 97 cents a share, compared with $144.3 million, or $1.03 a share, in the year-earlier period. On an adjusted basis, BJ’s also earned 97 cents a share, down from $1.06 a share a year before, while the FactSet consensus was for 90 cents a share. Total revenue declined to $4.96 billion from $5.10 billion, while analysts were modeling $5.18 billion. Comparable sales, excluding gasoline, rose by 1.1%. “Our strong performance in the second quarter reflects our continued gains in membership, traffic and market share, driven by the great value that we provide our members every day,” Chief Executive Bob Eddy said. “We continue to balance gross margins with investments in value and in growing the size and quality of our membership with an eye toward the future.” For the full fiscal year, BJ’s now expects a 2% increase in comparable sales, excluding gasoline. The company also anticipates $3.80 to $3.92 in adjusted earnings per share. BJ’s previously forecast 4% to 5% in comparable sales growth excluding gasoline. Chief Financial Officer Laura Felice said the company is “confident in our ability to maintain the momentum in our traffic and market share gains” but that it’s also navigating “shifts in consumer behavior driven by the broader macroeconomic environment.”
