Why Lumber Liquidators Jumped

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: Shares of hardwood-flooring specialist Lumber Liquidators (NYS: LL) rose as much as 11% earlier today after the company nailed its first-quarter results and easily surpassed Wall Street's estimates.

So what: For the quarter, Lumber Liquidators reported a 17.7% increase in sales to $188 million, and a profit of $0.29, which handily surpassed the profit of $0.25 on sales of $176.1 million that analysts had been looking for. Lumber Liquidators cited cheaper transportation costs and lower product costs as the driving force behind the growth in sales.

In addition, the company also boosted its full-year sales and EPS forecast from its previous quarterly guidance. Lumber Liquidators now expects full-year sales of $720 million-$750 million, and EPS of $1.10-$1.25. Both figures fall in line with the current consensus expectations.

Now what: Although the company is still cautious about its outlook (as is evidenced by its guidance that comparable store sales could be anywhere from negative to low-single-digits positive), today's results demonstrate to me that home remodels are still running strong. Like Home Depot (NYS: HD) , Lumber Liquidators is set to benefit whether homeowners simply remodel their homes, or if contractors instead come calling for new construction. The company isn't the same amazing value when I added it to my CAPS portfolio a few months ago, but it nonetheless has the momentum to head higher over the long-term.

Craving more input? Start by adding Lumber Liquidators to your free and personalized watchlist so you can keep up on the latest news with the company.

At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributor Sean Williams has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.The Motley Fool owns shares of Lumber Liquidators. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Home Depot and Lumber Liquidators. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't 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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