Best Buy cuts profit forecast on inflation hit By Reuters

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A person enters a Best Buy store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

(Reuters) -Best Buy Co Inc cut its full-year profit forecast on Tuesday, joining other major U.S. retailers to warn of an inflation hit, even as the electronics seller reported better than feared sales in the early part of the year.

A spike in prices for everything from toothpaste to gas is taking a toll on consumer spending, while driving companies such as Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Inc and Target Corp (NYSE:TGT) to report their worst earnings miss in at least five years.

"Macro conditions worsened since we provided our guidance in early March which resulted in our sales being slightly lower than our expectations. Those trends have continued into Q2 and, as a result, we are revising our sales and profitability expectations for the year," Best Buy CEO Corie Barry said.

Best Buy's comparable sales fell 8% in the first quarter ended April 30, but beat analysts' expectations of a 9.1% drop, according to IBES data from Refinitiv, as its focus on faster delivery started paying off.

On an adjusted basis, the company earned $1.57 per share, missing analysts' estimates of $1.61 per share.

"Electronics are highly discretionary, big-ticket items. This puts them directly in the firing line of households looking to trim expenditure," said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData.

However, Best Buy shares rose 2% in premarket trading, but were still well off from last week's highs.

The company said it was expecting full-year comparable sales to fall 3% to 6%, compared with its previous forecast of a 1% to 4% drop.

It expects fiscal 2023 adjusted earnings per share of $8.40 to $9, compared with its previous forecast of $8.85 to $9.15.

Statement: The content of this article does not represent the views of FTI website. The content is for reference only and does not constitute investment suggestions. Investment is risky, so you should be careful in your choice! If it involves content, copyright and other issues, please contact us and we will make adjustments at the first time!