Investing.com - Jeans manufacturer Levi Strauss & Co (NYSE:LEVI) reported a slight miss in its fiscal second-quarter revenue, sending the company's shares tumbling more than 15% in premarket trading Thursday.
However, the firm exceeded earnings expectations and announced an 8% dividend increase to 13 cents per share, marking the first rise in six quarters.
The company's quarterly results showed adjusted earnings per share at 16 cents versus the expected 11 cents, while revenue fell slightly short at $1.44 billion against the anticipated $1.45 billion.
Sales saw an approximately 8% increase from $1.34 billion a year earlier to $1.44 billion. However, this sales boost is measured against an easier comparison due to a shift in wholesale shipments from its fiscal second quarter into its fiscal first quarter in the previous year.
Levi's CFO, Harmit Singh, attributed the sales miss to unfavorable foreign exchange conditions and sluggish sales at Docker’s, a khaki and chinos brand.
Despite the strong earnings beat, Levi's only reiterated its full-year guidance, which aligns with estimates. The company continues to project full-year earnings per share to be between $1.17 and $1.27. This includes a 5-cent hit arising from the company's new distribution and logistics strategy.
"Results look okay in a vacuum and beat estimates (though the EU miss will get picked at), but come against a big move higher in the stock recently which made the setup a bit tricky," JPMorgan analysts said in a post-earnings note.
"Felt like a beat was needed /expected here and with the stock having re-rated materially YTD, a raise probably needed as well as the street is already sitting at the high-end of FY EPS guidance, and they only reiterated post the beat," they added.
Nearly half of Levi’s sales are now coming from its own website and stores. The company's direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales jumped 8% during the quarter, representing 47% of overall sales. Online sales increased by 19%.
Stifel analysts said DTC trends underscore the consumer appetite for Levi's brand, but wholesale trends "continue to show a disconnect that is impeding FY growth and earnings."