Vitamin Shoppe Hits Estimates in Solid Quarter

Updated

Vitamin Shoppe (NYS: VSI) reported earnings on Feb. 28. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Vitamin Shoppe met expectations on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded significantly and GAAP earnings per share increased significantly.

Gross margins shrank, operating margins expanded, net margins increased.

Revenue details
Vitamin Shoppe logged revenue of $214.9 million. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for net sales of $212.8 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 19% higher than the prior-year quarter's $180.3 million.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.32. The 13 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.32 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.32 for Q4 were 60% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.20 per share.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 34.7%, 3,880 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 8.4%, 200 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 4.4%, 110 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $238.8 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.56.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $930.2 million. The average EPS estimate is $1.83.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 32 members out of 41 rating the stock outperform, and nine members rating it underperform. Among 18 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 11 give Vitamin Shoppe a green thumbs-up, and seven give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Vitamin Shoppe is outperform, with an average price target of $45.55.

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At the time thisarticle was published Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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