Finish Line Shares Popped: What You Need to Know

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Finish Line (NAS: FINL) is sprinting ahead by as much as 14% today after the company reported quarterly earnings ahead of Wall Street estimates last night.

So what: On Thursday, the company put up second-quarter revenue of $331.5 million, a 10% increase, while net income came in at $20.9 million, or $0.39 per share. Street analysts were looking for earnings per share of $0.38 on $321.9 million in sales. Comparable-store sales rose by a healthy 11% and sit at 9% so far this month through Sept. 19.

Now what: Similarly, fellow sporting-apparel maker Nike (NYS: NKE) also reported better-than-expected earnings, adding some bullishness to the sector and boosting names like lululemon athletica (NAS: LULU) and Under Armour (NYS: UA) . Finish Line is looking to expand through acquisitions and recently acquired an 18-store chain of specialty running shops for roughly $8.5 million. The company expects online sales and heavy demand for its lightweight running shoes to continue to benefit its margins in the coming quarter. With fears of a double-dip recession dominating headlines, having a handful of retailers coming in above expectations is one of a few bright spots amidst all the rampant pessimism of late.

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At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributorEvan Niuowns shares of lululemon athletica, but he holds no other position in any company mentioned. Check out hisholdings and a short bio. The Motley Fool owns shares of Under Armour and lululemon athletica.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended buying shares of Nike, lululemon athletica, and Under Armour and creating a diagonal call position in Nike. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.

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