Dick’s Sporting Goods did pretty much everything right in the latest quarter: Sales increased more than expected, as did per-share earnings. Demand was also impressively strong for the sports-focused retailer, a benefit from the recent bankruptcies of rivals.
So why were shares slipping close to 10% on Tuesday? Blame greedy investors.
Ahead of its earnings report, shares of Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) swelled from close to $40 in late June to a tad over $60 per share on Monday evening. That is an impressive 50% boost, far outpacing the broader market and coming at a time when shares of athletic brands like Under Armour (UA) and Nike (NKE) have faltered.
Investors heaped praise on Dick’s as it benefits from industry consolidation within the world of sport. Rivals including Sport’s Authority and East Coast-focused City Sports have filed for bankruptcy and shuttered their stores. Vestis Retail Group LLC, who operates Eastern Mountain Sports and Bob’s Stores, also landed in bankruptcy this summer. All of that presents Dick’s a big opportunity to win market share ceded by rivals at a time when interest in athletic apparel is increasing.
The latest quarterly results from Dick’s proved the goods times are continuing: Same-store sales increased 5.2%, while adjusted earnings grew to 48 cents per share—far exceeding the guidance of 39 cents to 42 cents. Total net sales jumped 10% to about $1.8 billion for the third quarter.
Chairman and CEO Edward Stack touted the “meaningful marker share gains” and said Dick’s saw growth for each of the three primary categories it focuses on: apparel, hardline goods, and footwear.
“Looking ahead, we believe our assortment and marketing will help us to continue to capture displaced market share this holiday,” Stack said, comments that bode well for Dick’s as it gears up for the most competitive shopping season of the year.
But the stock decline indicates that some investors appear to have wanted to cash out on their gains. No matter how impressive Dick’s quarterly numbers were, it almost certainly was not going to be enough to appease all shareholders.
