Factors To Know Ahead Of Under Armour's (UAA) Q2 Earnings

Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE:UAA) is scheduled to report second-quarter 2019 financial numbers on Jul 30, before the opening bell. We note that the bottom line of this Baltimore, MD-based company has surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters. Investors are counting on another beat by this athletic apparel maker in the to-be-reported quarter. If all goes well, this will be the seventh and fourth straight quarter of top and bottom-line beat, respectively.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter under review is pegged at a loss of 6 cents. The company had reported a loss of 8 cents in the year-ago quarter. We note that the Zacks Consensus Estimate has remained unchanged in the past 30 days. The consensus estimate for revenues stands at $1,199 million, suggesting growth of approximately 2% from the year-ago quarter.

Here's What Management Guided

Management had earlier forecast second-quarter 2019 revenue to increase in the range of 1-2% driven by growth in international and direct-to-consumer businesses, partly offset by a marginal decline in North America business.

Sales decline in North America has been a major concern over the past few quarters. Net revenues from North America fell 2.8% during the first quarter of 2019 owing to sluggish demand in direct-to-consumer business and reduced sales to off-price channel.

For the second quarter, gross margin is projected to expand about 80-100 basis points due to improved product cost and regional and channel mix benefits. SG&A expenses are expected to be up about 4-5%, driven by additional planned marketing and increased facility, distribution and store expenses.

Under Armour had previously projected an operating loss of approximately $25 million. Moreover, the company had anticipated loss per share of roughly 6 cents, which shows an improvement from a loss of 8 cents reported in the year-ago period.

A Sneak Peek into the Fundamentals

We expect the company to continue gaining from the focus on brand development, expansion of direct-to-consumer and technology-based fitness businesses. Further, it is progressing well with its multi-year transformation plan and has undertaken other growth strategies.

With rising health consciousness, sports apparel makers like Under Armour are entering the business of fitness gadgets and other tracking platforms to attract more customers. The acquisition of MapMyFitness, Endomondo and MyFitnessPal are in tune with the company’s strategy of expanding its reach in the fitness space. Moreover, management is impressed with the popularity of UA HOVR. Under Armour is banking on three platforms — HOVR, Charge and Micro G — to boost growth.

In addition, the company is focused on strengthening its brand through enhanced customer connections, innovations and strict go-to-market process. The company plans to introduce improved athletic products, and increased investment in direct-to-consumer, international, women's and footwear businesses.

Notably, Under Armour has been making efforts to bolster direct-to-consumer business through store expansion and enhancement of the e-commerce platform. In the first quarter of 2019, direct-to-consumer business’ contribution was 27% of global revenues.

What the Zacks Model Unveils

Our proven model does not conclusively show that Under Armour 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.

Under Armour has a Zacks Rank #1 and an Earnings ESP of 0.00%, consequently making the surprise prediction difficult.

3 Stocks With a Favorable Combination

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

L Brands (NYSE:LB) has an Earnings ESP of +0.89% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Carter's, Inc. (NYSE:CRI) has an Earnings ESP of +0.50% and a Zacks Rank #3.

Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ:COLM) has an Earnings ESP of +40.00% and a Zacks Rank #3.

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