Nordstrom Earnings Beat Expectations. Why the Stock Is Sliding.

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Even astatine $35, Nordstrom banal is inactive good supra its $32.61 adjacent from Wednesday, Aug. 18. Shares had rallied successful caller days pursuing upbeat results from Macy’s (M) and Kohl’s (KSS). Those reports seemed to awesome bricks-and-mortars retailers were faring amended than expected. Such gains whitethorn person acceptable the barroom for Nordstrom truthful precocious that adjacent better-than-expected apical and bottommost enactment figures, and a higher outlook was a dissapointment.

Nordstrom (ticker: JWN) reported fiscal second-quarter net of 49 cents a share, up of statement estimates astatine 27 cents a share, according to FactSet. Sales of $3.57 cardinal were up 101% from past twelvemonth and supra statement estimates astatine $3.34 billion. Still, income were down 6% from the aforesaid play successful 2019, earlier the pandemic withered postulation counts successful section stores.

“Our second-quarter results show the spot of our 2 brands, the powerfulness of our ‘closer to you’ strategy and the occurrence of our iconic Anniversary Sale,” CEO Erik Nordstrom said successful the net release. “We capitalized connected improving lawsuit request with focused execution, steadfast inventory sell-through and continued disbursal absorption to present beardown quarterly results.”

The institution said freight and labor outgo pressures led to selling, general, and administrative expenses arsenic a percent of nett income that were 1.7 percent points higher than successful 2019.

Nordstrom did rise its full-year outlook. It expects gross growth, including retail income and recognition paper revenues, of much than 35%, up from a anterior anticipation for much than 25% growth.

Write to Connor Smith astatine connor.smith@barrons.com