 | | | | An off-price retailer is soaring on stronger-than-expected earnings, a wholesale giant is rising despite declining sales, and a tiny EV stock is soaring on a $1 billion financing commitment from a Qatari firm. Read on to find out more! | |
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| | | | | What to Watch | Earnings: | Broadcom Inc. (AVGO): Aftermarket Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Aftermarket Samsara Inc. (IOT): Aftermarket Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE): Aftermarket The Cooper Companies, Inc. (COO): Aftermarket Guidewire Software, Inc. (GWRE): Aftermarket
| Economic Reports: | Initial jobless claims [March 1]: 8:30 a.m. U.S. productivity (final) [Q4]: 8:30 a.m. U.S. trade deficit [Jan]: 8:30 a.m. Wholesale inventories [Jan]: 10:00 a.m. Fed Governor Christopher Waller speaks at 3:30 p.m. Atlanta Fed President Bostic speaks at 7:00 p.m.
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| | Off-Price Retail | Burlington Stores’ Earnings Beat Sends Stock Surging | | Burlington Stores (NYSE: BURL) reported stronger-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, with comparable store sales rising 6%, surpassing its forecast of 0% to 2%. | Shares of Burlington are up nearly 10% in early trade. | The company’s net income for the quarter stood at $261 million, translating to a diluted EPS of $4.02, while adjusted EPS climbed 12% to $4.13, exceeding projections. | For the full year, Burlington is posting an 11% increase in total sales, with comparable store sales up 4%. | Net income for 2024 is at $504 million, with a diluted EPS of $7.80. Adjusted EPS saw a 34% jump from the previous year, reaching $8.35. | Operationally, Burlington opened 101 net new stores and relocated 31 locations. | The company is also reporting a 30-basis-point gross margin expansion, driven by improvements in freight and merchandise costs. | As of the end of Q4, Burlington had $1.82 billion in liquidity, including $995 million in unrestricted cash. | The company repurchased over 218,000 shares for $61 million during the quarter and plans to open around 100 new stores in fiscal 2025. | Looking ahead, Burlington expects 2025 total sales growth between 6% and 8%, with comparable store sales projected to rise by 0% to 2%. | Adjusted EPS for the year is anticipated to range from $8.70 to $9.30. |
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| | Wholesale | BJ’s Wholesale Club Tops Profit Estimates, Eyes Cautious Growth in 2025 | | BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE: BJ) announced its fourth-quarter earnings today, surpassing Wall Street forecasts even though its sales has declined. | The company posted a net income of $122.7 million, or $0.92 per share, for the quarter ending February 1, down from $145.9 million, or $1.08 per share, a year ago. | After adjusting for one-time items, earnings per share is at $0.93, exceeding analysts’ estimates of $0.88. | Revenue is down slightly at $5.28 billion from $5.36 billion in the previous year but still ahead of market expectations of $5.27 billion. | BJ’s stock is up 1.4% in premarket trading. | Same-store sales are up 4% year over year, with a stronger 4.6% increase when excluding gasoline, driven primarily by higher foot traffic. | Chief Financial Officer Laura Felice expressed cautious optimism for the year ahead, acknowledging broader economic uncertainties. | For fiscal 2025, BJ’s anticipates same-store sales growth, excluding fuel, of 2% to 3.5%. | Adjusted earnings per share are projected to range between $4.10 and $4.30, aligning closely with analysts’ expectations of $4.28. |
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| | | | Liquefied Natural Gas | Venture Global Delivering Solid Q4 Earnings, Stock Gains on Growth Forecast | | Venture Global Inc. (NYSE: VG) announced underwhelming fourth-quarter earnings, sending its stock down 1.5% in premarket trading. | The liquefied natural gas (LNG) company posted a revenue of $1.5 billion, reflecting a 7% year-over-year decline, well below analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. | Adjusted earnings per share are at $0.33 for the quarter, which is higher than the $0.02 loss in the same period last year, but below Wall Street estimates of $0.76. | For the full fiscal year 2024, the company generated $5.0 billion in revenue and recorded $1.5 billion in net income. | Venture Global also reported exporting 141 LNG cargoes, totaling 508 trillion British thermal units (TBtu), throughout the year. | Looking ahead, the company has issued an optimistic forecast for 2025, expecting consolidated adjusted EBITDA to range between $6.8 billion and $7.4 billion. | LNG exports are projected to reach between 140 and 148 shipments from the Calcasieu Pass facility and between 219 and 239 shipments from its Plaquemines project. | CEO Mike Sabel emphasized the company’s continued success in meeting key milestones and noted that a significant portion of its LNG output in 2024 was supplied to European partners. |
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| | | Movers and Shakers | | Visionary Holdings Inc. [GV] - Last Close: $3.70 | Visionary Holdings Inc. is a diversified company expanding into the new energy vehicle (NEV) sector. | Its shares are skyrocketing 70%+ in premarket trading after it secured a $1 billion financing commitment from the Alfardan Group of Qatar for fuel R&D and global expansion for its PEGASUS NEV project. | My Take: This could act as a major growth catalyst for the company’s ambitious entry into the booming EV sector. Keep a close watch on how GV’s plans progress in this effort. |
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| Cutera, Inc. [CUTR] - Last Close: $0.12 | Cutera, Inc., is a medical aesthetics company specializing in laser and energy-based skincare solutions. | After plunging 63% yesterday, shares of Cutera are up 40% in early trade today after the company filed for a pre-packaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy to slash its debt by over 90%—eliminating $400 million in liabilities. | The restructuring includes $65 million in new financing, and the company expects to complete the process within 60 days and transition to private ownership. | My Take: Cutera’s restructuring may stabilize its finances, but going private limits the upside for existing shareholders. Unless it executes a strong turnaround, this could be a short-term bounce rather than a long-term recovery story. Keep an eagle eye on further announcements. |
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| LendingTree, Inc. [TREE] - Last Close: $40.27 | LendingTree, Inc., is a leading online financial services marketplace. | The firm blew past expectations in its Q4 earnings report, reporting an EPS of $0.55 versus a forecasted loss of $0.09 and revenue of $261.5M versus $236.4M expected. | Adjusted EPS also soared to $1.16, more than double analyst projections. | My Take: LendingTree grew across its home (+35%), consumer (+12%), and insurance (+188%) segments, while reducing net leverage from 5.3x to 3.5x, signaling a strong revival after struggling in recent quarters. Keep a close watch on this stock. |
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| | | | That’s all for today. Thank you for reading. If you have any feedback, please reply to this email. | Best Regards, | — Adam Garcia
Elite Trade Club |
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