Sporting-goods retailers are largely marked by positive metrics, such as same-store sales growth and increasing location counts. Retailers with these qualities tend to have improving earnings. Earnings-per-share gains ought to support stock-price increases. Lets take a look and see if these companies are favorable investments for the long term.
A growing store base
Dicks Sporting Goods Inc (NYSE:DKS) operated 608 Dick’s and Golf Galaxy locations as of early August. It plans to open 41 new stores during 2013, a 7% expansion rate.
Indeed, management is focused on increasing the store count and square footage. It sees the opportunity for about 1,100 units eventually. Its ability to add nearly 500 new stores is partly based on its planned extension into small markets within the U.S., a strategy embarked upon during this year.
Dicks Sporting Goods Inc (NYSE:DKS) has no long-term debt and should have the flexibility to use cash for the capital expenditures required for store builds. An accelerated pace of store construction is not out of the question.
Dicks Sporting Goods Inc (NYSE:DKS) shares have sold off somewhat and are trading at a forward P/E ratio of about 16.0 times earnings. The stock offers decent long-term price gains at its current price.
Same-store sales gains
Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation (NASDAQ:BGFV) operates a somewhat lower number of stores from its base in California; a 416 total as of June 30. It is also growing at a bit of a slower pace, with plans for 15 new locations this year. Still, the company is impressive for its comparable-store sales increases.
Same-store sales climbed 7.4% during the first half of 2013, including a 4.4% gain in the second quarter. The increases have stemmed from rising store traffic as well as higher sales from each of its key categories, including apparel, footwear and hard-goods.
The company is on pace for a strong earnings rebound this year. Along with sales gains, increases in its profit margins and gross margin ought to allow for EPS improvements.
Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation (NASDAQ:BGFV) is a company with an improving income statement and a solid balance sheet. Its long-term debt-to-equity ratio is a moderate 0.3 compared with the industry average of 0.7. In other words, it is financially strong.
These shares could be rewarding over the long term. The stock is trading at a low P/E ratio of just 11.1 times forward earnings.
Sneaker store paying dividends
As of early August, Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE:FL) operated a whopping 3,495 stores in 23 countries. Modest same-store sales gains have been achieved through the first half of the company’s fiscal year, allowing for an approximate 11% increase in EPS.
Another favorable aspect of Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE:FL) is that it pays a quarterly dividend. Currently the stock yields 2.5% annually.
As opposed to growing the store count, Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE:FL) is more focused on relocating and remodeling locations. In total, during fiscal 2012, it either relocated or remodeled 198 units, or about 6% of the base, and it continues to pursue this strategy during 2013.
