The Finish Line, Inc. reported results for the 13-weeks ended August 31, 2013.
For the thirteen weeks ended August 31, 2013:
- Consolidated net sales were $436.0 million, an increase of 13.3% over the prior year period.
- Finish Line comparable store sales increased 0.9%.
- Diluted earnings per share increased 10.2% to $0.54.
“We are pleased to have delivered a solid second quarter performance,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Glenn Lyon. “The combination of positive comparable sales and good expense control drove a 10% increase in earnings per share over last year. At the same time, we continued to make good progress building our business with Macy’s and growing our Running Specialty Group.
“Looking ahead, we are cognizant of the headwinds currently facing the retail industry and this has been incorporated into our near-term planning. We remain confident that our strategy to create a leading multi-divisional, omni-channel business will lead to sustainable sales and earnings growth and increased shareholder value over the long term.”
As of August 31, 2013, consolidated merchandise inventories increased 18.1% to $296.0 million compared to $250.6 million as of September 1, 2012. The increase resulted primarily from the start-up of Macy’s business. For Finish Line, merchandise inventories decreased 0.5%.
The company repurchased 250,000 shares of its common stock in the second quarter, totaling $5.5 million. The company has 4.3 million shares remaining on its current Board authorized repurchase plan.
As of August 31, 2013, the company had no interest-bearing debt and $203.8 million in cash and cash equivalents, compared to $254.2 million a year ago.
Outlook
For the fiscal year ending March 1, 2014, the company now expects Finish Line comparable store sales to increase low single digits compared to its previous expectation for a slight increase. The company still expects earnings per share to increase mid-single digit percent over fiscal year 2013 Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $1.47.
