Macy’s sinks to lowest level since 2023 after issuing disappointing outlook
The former retail titan is buttoning up for chillier sales this year.
Macy’s shares fell as much as 3% on Thursday morning after the once iconic department store chain delivered mixed fourth-quarter results along with an underwhelming outlook.
Earnings per share hit $1.80, topping the company’s prior guidance as well as Wall Street’s estimate of $1.53. But revenue fell 4% to $7.77 billion for the quarter, missing estimates of $7.87 billion. Meanwhile, comparable sales across Bloomingdale’s, beauty retailer Bluemercury, and Macy’s banner stores also fell 1.1% during the holiday quarter. By itself, Bluemercury shined, notching its 16th straight quarter of comparable sales growth, up 6.2% for the quarter.
Looking ahead, Macy’s expects full-year adjusted earnings per share to come in between $2.05 and $2.25, well below FactSet analyst estimates of $2.64. Macy’s shares are down nearly 35% over the past year and hit their lowest level since November 2023 this morning.
Despite a few bright spots, Macy’s faces hurdles ahead. On the earnings call, CEO Tony Spring said that while inventories are in good shape for the first quarter, the rest of the year will be managed on a “case-by-case” basis due to ongoing tariff concerns. In December, activist investor Barington Capital pressured the retailer to sell its luxury brands and capitalize on its valuable real estate properties.