L Brands Issues Bleak Outlook Amid Victoria's Secret Weakness

By Anne Steele 

L Brands Inc. issued a disappointing outlook for the year as its core lingerie business continued to lag behind amid its exit from swim wear and apparel.

Shares dropped 12% after hours to $51.30. The stock had already lost 31% of its value over the past 12 months through Wednesday's close.

The company guided for 2017 full-year earnings of between $3.05 and $3.35 a share, including earnings between 20 cents and 25 cents in the first quarter -- short of the $3.61 and 49 cents, respectively, that analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had forecast. L Brands blamed the exit of the swim and apparel categories at Victoria's Secret, continued investment in China and investment in real estate at Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works.

L Brands also now expects to report a mid-to-high-teens decrease in February comparable sales, below expectations for a mid-single-digit decrease, reflecting a decline of about 20% at Victoria's Secret and a mid-single-digit decline at Bath & Body Works.

Victoria's Secret continued to struggle during the period, with comparable sales falling 3%, compared with a 7% rise a year earlier. Longtime Chief Executive Leslie Wexner took over the segment last February and has been trying to scale back promotions and narrow merchandise offerings. The January report raises further questions about whether those efforts are taking hold.

Same-store sales in the much smaller Bath & Body Works segment, meanwhile, rose 5%, compared with 7% the year before.

In all, L Brands reported a profit of $631.7 million, down from $636 million a year earlier. On a per-share basis, earnings rose to $2.18 from $2.15 on a lower share count.

Excluding a favorable tax settlement of 14 cents a share, adjusted earnings fell to $2.03 a share. The company had most recently guided for earnings of $1.90 a share.

Earlier this month, L Brands reported revenue rose 2.1% to $4.49 billion. Total same-store sales were flat in the quarter, hurt by the exit of the swim and apparel categories.

Many retailers have been reporting lackluster sales that are largely the result of lower traffic as more shoppers move online, especially to Amazon.com, and as fast-fashion chains like Hennes & Mauritz AB grab market share.

Write to Anne Steele at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 22, 2017 17:38 ET (22:38 GMT)

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