Whole Foods will be down heavy today, presenting all of us a great opportunity to buy the stock cheaply. Here’s the reason for the drop:
NEW YORK (AP) – Shares of Whole Foods Market Inc. dropped in after-hours trading Wednesday after the grocery chain reported fiscal first-quarter profits and revenue fell below analysts’ forecasts. The Austin, Texas-based grocery chain, known for its organic and natural food offerings, also lowered its earnings projections for the year and pared down its top end of its full-year revenue guidance.
The latest results show that Whole Foods is facing an increasingly competitive landscape. The chain had been able to boost sales in large part because of its healthy product selection fits with Americans’ changing eating habits. But more mainstream players like Kroger Co. are increasingly tapping into that trend as well, and rolling out more products or sections labels as natural or organic.
That has put more pressure on Whole Foods to be more competitive with prices. The chain, which operates 373 stores, has battled a perception among shoppers that its food is pricey.
The chain earned a profit of $158 million, or 42 cents per share, in the quarter that ended on Jan. 19. That compares with a profit of $146 million, or 39 cents per share, in the year-ago period.
Revenue rose 10 percent to $4.24 billion in the quarter.
Analysts expected 44 cents per share on revenue of $4.29 billion, according to FactSet estimates.
Revenue at stores opened at least a year rose 5.4 percent. Analysts were expecting a 5.6 percent gain. The figure was slower than the 5.4 percent increase in the previous quarter and below the 7.2 percent pace seen in the year-ago period.
Whole Foods said it now expects earnings per share for the current fiscal year to be $1.58 to $1.65. It had originally expected $1.65 to $1.69 per year. Analysts expected $1.68 per share, according to FactSet estimates.
The company also now expects full-year revenue to be up 11 percent to 12 percent. That’s down from an earlier projection of 11 percent to 13 percent.
The company released its earnings results after the market closed.
Shares dropped nearly 6 percent, or $3.27 per share to $52.19 after hours after slipping 42 cents to $55.46 in regular trading.
Good to be reminded that there are strong stocks out there. This is the beginning of the list from BarChart’s list of new highs. Click here.
Here are the two videos I want everyone to watch (The ones I mentioned yesterday.)
For the videos go here.
Matt Taibbi latest fascinating piece:
The Vampire Squid Strikes Again: The Mega Banks’ Most Devious Scam Yet
Banks are no longer just financing heavy industry. They are actually buying it up and inventing bigger, bolder and scarier scams than ever
Read the entire Rolling Stone article here.
What’s the secret to long-life? From the New York Times:
Seeking the Keys to Longevity in `What Makes Olga Run?’
Olga Kotelko competing in the Masters Games in 2009.
No one would mistake Olga Kotelko for one of the Olympians competing in Sochi, Russia, but at age 94, she holds more world records than most: 26, to be exact, including age-group bests in the high jump, the hammer throw and the 200-meter run. Not bad for someone who took up track and field at age 77. …
Bruce Grierson’s latest book concludes with a tidy list of “rules for living.” The nine maxims, which include “keep moving,” “believe in something,” “don’t do it if you don’t love it” and “begin now” — convey nothing that a consumer of health news and popular psychology hasn’t already heard a million times. Perhaps that’s the point.
For now, the best anti-aging tools science can offer are habits we already know we should be doing, but perhaps, like Mr. Grierson, are not: exercising regularly, sleeping enough, limiting sedentary behavior and maintaining meaningful social connections.
You can read the entire piece here. Bruce Grierson’s book “What makes Olga run?” is available on Amazon. Click here.
CHECK. CHECK. CHECK. My son is in Hong Kong on his way to Vietnam. He gets through three levels of passport control. Finally he gets to the Cathay Pacific boarding gate. They reject him because some moron confused his travel plans. They put his exit date as his arrival date on his Vietnam visa. He could go there Sunday — but that was meant to be when he would leave. He’s now going on Sunday. There are worse places to be stuck a few days. For example, our country house north of New York City. Forecast for today: 1 to 2 inches of snow per hour by the morning…with rates possible exceeding 3 inches per hour at times tonight. It’s 46 in Hong Kong and not snowing.
Best email this morning:
Dear Lincoln Plaza Residents,
A friendly, annual reminder to all owners, please replace your HVAC filter at least twice a year to ensure proper operation of the system.
Kind regards,
Elaine Flegert
Property Manager
Mediate Management Company, Inc.
Boston, MA
Sochi would kill for the snow we’re getting in New York this morning.
Favorite nonsenses for a snowy day.
So I googled “The Meaning of Life” and got this:
You can watch it here.
The cranky old woman.
A very cranky old woman was arrested for shoplifting at a grocery store. She gave everyone a hard time, from the store manager to the security guard to the arresting officer who took her away, complaining and criticizing throughout the process.
When she appeared before the judge, the judge asked what she had stolen from the store. The lady defiantly replied, “Just a stupid can of peaches.”
The judge then asked why she had done it.
She replied, “I was hungry and forgot to bring any cash to the store.”
The judge asked how many peaches were in the can. She replied, “Nine, but what do you care about that?”
The judge patiently said, “Well, ma’am, because I’m going to give you nine days in jail — one day for each peach.” As the judge was about to drop his gavel, the lady’s long suffering husband raised his hand and asked if he might speak.
The judge said, “Yes, what do you have to add?”
The husband said, “Your Honor, she also stole a can of peas.”
Harry Newton who is eyeing the snowflakes from the sanctuary and safety of his desk at home and isn’t going anywhere — even if that means eating canned peas. I have hay fever this morning and can’t stop sneezing. It must be global warming.
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.
A couple days ago a newspaper article compared Whole Foods and Sprouts prices for same “Store Brand” items. Surprisingly, they were very near the same and Whole Foods actually came out a few pennies less in the overall.