Factors Setting The Tone For J. C. Penney (JCP) Q4 Earnings

J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE:JCP) is slated to release fourth-quarter fiscal 2017 results on Mar 2.

In the previous quarter, the company reported better-than-expected earnings. Also, it surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing three out of four quarters. Let’s see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement.

What to Expect?

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter under review is pegged at 45 cents, which is considerably below 64 cents in the year-ago quarter. Notably, the consensus mark has been stable over the past 30 days. Moreover, analysts polled by Zacks expect revenues of $4,034 million, up 1.8% from the prior-year quarter.

Factors at Play

J. C. Penney’s top line in the fourth quarter is likely to be driven by robust holiday sales. Also, the company reported positive comparable-store sales this festive season, unlike the prior year. It delivered comps growth of 3.4% for the combined nine weeks period, ending on Dec 30, 2017. Robust comps performance can be attributed to solid sales at home, beauty and fine jewelry. Moreover, it was fueled by the company’s sturdy e-commerce business that recorded double-digit sales increase year over year. The e-commerce growth was primarily driven by sought-after gifting categories like home decor as well as luggage, fine jewelry, toys, boots and athletic footwear. Apparel categories, mainly women’s and kids, continued its positive momentum as well.

Meanwhile, the company’s Sephora stores, which have done exceptionally well in the past and is regarded as one of the best performing categories, is likely to continue the uptrend in the fourth quarter. In fact, these shops are part of J. C. Penney’s strategy to gain a competitive advantage over other beauty product retailers and drugstores that have significantly enhanced their cosmetics sections in the recent years.

While J. C. Penney is undertaking several strategic initiatives to draw traffic, we expect the retail landscape to remain tough. Also, the company’s store closures are likely to weigh upon its performance. Due to change in consumer spending patterns, retailers are making investments on digitalization that might keep margins under pressure for the short term. Moreover, in order to enhance customer shopping experience, the company has been focusing on remodeling, renovating and refurbishing its stores with special focus on enhancing high-margin center core department that houses handbags, fashion accessories, sunglasses and fashion jewelry.

J.C. Penney Company, Inc. Holding Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

What the Zacks Model Unveils

Our proven model does not show that J. C. Penney is likely to beat bottom-line estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both — a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) — for this to happen. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

J. C. Penney has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. Although the company’s Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of ESP, we need to have a positive ESP to be confident about an earnings surprise.

Stocks With Favorable Combination

Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat:

Ross Stores Inc (NASDAQ:ROST) has an Earnings ESP of +1.37% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Zumiez Inc (NASDAQ:ZUMZ) has an Earnings ESP of +0.56% and a Zacks Rank #2.

Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL) has an Earnings ESP of +0.06% and a Zacks Rank of 2.

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