For the quarter ended on October 30, Target reported an adjusted EPS of $3.03, ahead of the $2.83 expected by analysts. Revenue also topped the $24.78 billion estimated, coming in at $25.65 billion, marking a 13% from the same time last year. Comparable sales grew 12.7% as customers made more tips to stores and visits to the website.
Target’s most profitable month was August, as parents and students bought school supplies preparing to return to in-person learning. According to CEO Brian Cornell, despite sales having been strong throughout the year, they have been “punctuated during key seasonal moments.” He expects the seasonal pattern to play out again during the holiday season.
In early October, the retailer started the holiday season, increasing operations by hiring 100,000 seasonal employees, filling 30,000 new supply chain roles, and adding about 5 million extra hours to current staff. Moreover, to attract even more customers, Target has opened additional Disney and Apple shops and is playing up beauty with about 100 Ulta Beauty shops at Target stores and on the website.
Target expects same-store sales to rise between a high single to low double digits for the current quarter.
As of Tuesday close, Target share price is up nearly 51% year to date, pushing the market valuation to $130.01 billion.
Sources: cnbc.com, reuters.com