Latest news with #April2025
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kroger (KR) Beats Q1 Earnings Estimates
Kroger (KR) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.49 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.45 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.43 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 2.76%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this supermarket chain would post earnings of $1.12 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.14, delivering a surprise of 1.79%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Kroger , which belongs to the Zacks Retail - Supermarkets industry, posted revenues of $45.12 billion for the quarter ended April 2025, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.58%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $45.27 billion. The company has not been able to beat consensus revenue estimates over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Kroger shares have added about 7.2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 1.7%. While Kroger has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Kroger: unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.02 on $34.13 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $4.74 on $149.07 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Retail - Supermarkets is currently in the top 40% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Another stock from the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector, Levi Strauss (LEVI), has yet to report results for the quarter ended May 2025. This jeans maker is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.13 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -18.8%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. Levi Strauss' revenues are expected to be $1.37 billion, down 5.2% from the year-ago quarter. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Kroger Co. (KR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Levi Strauss & Co. (LEVI) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Zawya
11 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa: Local retail sales rise 5.1% year on year in April
According to data published by Stats SA, South African retail trade sales increased by 5,1% year-on-year in April 2025. Measured in real terms (constant 2019 prices), retail trade sales increased by 5,1% year-on-year in April 2025. The largest positive contributors to this increase were: - general dealers (5,3% and contributing 2,3 percentage points); and - retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (12,5% and contributing 2,1 percentage points). Seasonally adjusted retail trade sales increased by 0,9% in April 2025 compared with March 2025. This followed month-on-month changes of -0,3% in March 2025 and -1,1% in February 2025. Retail trade sales increased by 3,4% in the three months ended April 2025 compared with the three months ended April 2024. The largest positive contributors to this increase were: - retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (10,5% and contributing 1,6 percentage points); and - general dealers (2,8% and contributing 1,3 percentage points). Seasonally adjusted retail trade sales decreased by 0,5% in the three months ended April 2025 compared with the previous three months. The largest negative contributors to this decrease were: - general dealers (-1,2% and contributing -0,5 of a percentage point); and - retailers in food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (-3,3% and contributing -0,3 of a percentage point). The largest positive contributor was all 'other' retailers (2,0% and contributing 0,2 of a percentage point). All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
5 men wanted for allegedly stealing diamonds, jewelry and cash in St. Albert ‘distraction' theft
These men are two of five wanted in connection with a theft from a St. Albert jewelry store on April 1, 2025. (Supplied) Mounties are looking for five men wanted in connection with a theft from a St. Albert jewelry store. In a Wednesday press release, RCMP said the five men visited the store in St. Albert Centre on April 1 between 6:10 and 6:30 p.m. RCMP allege that three of the men entered the store and distracted the store's employee while two other men stole diamond rings, gemstone rings, gold chains, watches and cash from a safe. The men then left the store separately. Mounties said the theft was not discovered until later that night. The men are all described as being in their 30s or 40s with medium to large builds, medium complexions, and having dark hair and facial hair. According to RCMP, distraction thefts are common and are on the rise in jewelry stores across Canada. Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-7700. Anonymous information can be given to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa: A hesitant turnaround in the logistics sector since January
After declining for eight consecutive months to reach a revised index level of 113.5 in January 2025, the lowest since December 2022, the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index (Ctrack TFI) increased in each of the three months to April to reach an index level of 115.4. At this level the index is 1.6% higher than in January, but still 6.4% below a year earlier. While somewhat of a bounce-back, in essence, it can only be seen as a stabilisation of the logistics sector after a prolonged slump, as underlying weaknesses in some of the sub-sectors remain prevalent. Graph1: Ctrack Transport & Freight Index (2016=100) Considering the first four months of 2025, three sub-sectors contracted compared to a year earlier and three sectors advanced. However, given that the heavy-weighted road freight sub-sector remained under pressure, the overall logistics sector lagged by 4.7% compared to the corresponding period one year earlier – see graph 2. Road freight (-7.5%), transport via pipelines (-13.8%) and the sub-component for storage and handling (-10.0%) contracted, while the air freight (14.1%), rail freight (3.9%) and sea freight (1.2%) sub-sectors recorded growth. Furthermore, following monthly increases in the Ctrack TFI in February and March, the index stalled in April, suggesting that the sector is by no means out of woods yet. Graph 2: Y/Y growth rate in different sub-sectors of Ctrack TFI in first four months of 2025 The heavily weighted road freight sub-sector remained under pressure in the first months of 2025, a continuation of a trend that started in mid-2023. From a high of 89.1% in November 2022, road freight now accounts for only 82.1% of all freight payload in South Africa. Following on growth of 1.5% in 2023, road freight payload in South Africa plummeted in 2024 with a drop of 8.3%, while Q1 2025 data suggests a further contraction of 6.9% y/y – see graph 3. The ongoing weakness in the South African economy remains an important factor in the disappointing performance of the road freight sector, especially the performance of the primary and secondary sectors. The mining sector contracted on average by 2.2% in the three years to 2024 (in real terms) and further by 4.1% q/q in Q1 2025. Similarly, the agricultural and manufacturing sectors contracted on average by 3.7% and 0.1% respectively in the corresponding time period, while manufacturing contracted further by 2.0% q/q in Q1. Less economic activity in these sectors, especially the export-oriented mining sector, results in less demand for truck transport. Additional factors include the redirection of cargo ships towards other ports in Africa, resulting in less demand for heavy vehicle transport in South Africa, and some improvement in rail freight transport, although the latter explains less than 20% of the observed drop in road freight transport in Q1 2025. While heavy vehicle traffic on the N4 route towards Maputo remained under pressure in the first four months of 2025, a continuation of a trend that commenced in 2024, the number of heavy trucks (class 3 and 4) passing through the Tugela Toll Plaza on the N3 route increased somewhat in the first four months, following on a contraction of 1.0% in 2024. With the pressure evident relating to demand for road freight transport, it is unsurprising that sales of new extra heavy trucks are down by 10.8% year-to-date (compared to the corresponding period in 2024 and in sharp contrast to overall vehicle sales that are up by 12.6% in the same period), probably partly ascribed to an oversupply of extra-heavy vehicles following some years of good growth (2021-2023). Interestingly and in contrast to extra-heavies, sales of heavy vehicles are up by 19.0 y/y in the first four months of 2025 – see graph 4. Graph 3: Annual Growth Rate: Road Vs Rail Freight Payload Graph 4: Commercial Vehicle Sales Growth The recovery in the rail freight sector is still on track and likely to see more cargoes moving from road to rail in coming years. Encouragingly, Q1 2025 marks the third consecutive quarter in which the rail freight sub-component increased, compared to a year earlier. However, this is a slow-moving trend and not the main driver of slack in the road freight sector. From reaching a rock-bottom low of only 10.3% of total freight payload been transport via rail in November 2022, the performance of rail has improved to 17.9% in March 2025 ( vs full year 2024 at 16.9% and 15.6% for 2023), though still notably lower than the 10-year average of 25.9% (rail freight to total payload in 2008-2017) prior to the onset of the significant deterioration. After increasing only marginally in 2024 (0.8% in 2024), growth in rail freight payload increased by 5.7% in Q1 2025 – see graph 3. The rail freight sector remains a top priority in government's structural reform initiatives, as outlined in the Freight Logistics Roadmap and reiterated as part of ongoing reforms that will remain the focus of Operation Vulindlela's recently launched second phase. The reforms aim at restoring and growing rail capacity in South Africa, to ultimately reduce trucks on the roads in the medium term and to reset to a more sustainable road/rail freight balance. The recently established Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager is gearing up for the allocation of the first route slots to private trains after the landmark decision to allow third-party access to the country's rail network. Transnet is aiming to raise rail freight volumes to 250 million tonnes by 2030 from 161 million last year. In the first four months of 2025, the air freight sub-sector continued to perform well, aligning with global trends – see graph 5. In April global air freight volumes continued the growth trend observed in the previous month, up by 5.8% y/y in Cargo Tonne-Kilometers (CTK). Fashion and consumer goods are typically shipped between April and June, ahead of the summer retail cycle in the Northern Hemisphere, supporting the strong numbers. Moreover, front-loading aimed at avoiding the implementation of US import tariff changes contributed as well. South Africa was no exception, with the air freight index increasing by a notable 14.1% in the first four months of 2025 (compared to corresponding period one year earlier), continuing a trend that commenced in 2024. Total consolidated airport flight movements increased by 2.3% y/y in the first four months, while cargo load on planes increased by a further 16.7% in the same period, following on notable growth of 21.9% in 2024. Graph 5: Outperformance Of Air Freight Sub-sector Evident Since 2024 After contracting for two consecutive years, the sea freight sub-component increased by 3.4% in 2024 and continued the positive trend with average growth of 1.2% in the first four months of 2025. According to Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), the number of containers handled in the first four months of 2025 declined by 2.2% compared to the corresponding period in 2024, but total cargo handled at ports (excluding vehicles) increased by 8.8%. While there are green shoots here and there, the sector remains in urgent need of further infrastructure investment to modernise operations in order to improve much-needed efficiencies. In that light, the announcement by Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy of a R51bn guarantee facility to stabilise Transnet's capital programme and to enable reform implementation, is indeed good news. These developments intend to address structural inefficiencies and restore critical freight corridors. While implementation challenges persist, this renewed fiscal commitment and also the commitment to expand private sector participation are pivotal in revitalising South Africa's trade-enabling infrastructure and improving logistics performance over the medium term. The storage and handling sub-sector of the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index declined by 0.1% in 2024, following two years of larger contractions, with inventory indicators suggesting further pressure in the first four months of 2025. Similarly, the transport of liquid fuels via Transnet Pipelines (TPL) declined by 1.8% in 2024 (following on a decline of 1.0% in 2023) and started the year mostly in similar trend. However, a notable increase in pipeline transport during April signals a potential positive trend shift in this sub-sector. The Ctrack TFI signals that transport sector contributed positively to Q1 2025 GDP The recovery (though hesitant) in the Ctrack TFI in the first few months of 2025 signalled that the transport sector would be a positive contributor to overall GDP in Q1, for the first time since Q4 2023. The transport and communication sector has been a significant under-performer in the broader economy in each of the four quarters of 2024, but early indications are that the sector has turned the corner and could likely perform better in 2025. Encouragingly, the transport and communication sector increased by 2.4% q/q, seasonally adjusted in Q1, compared to -1.1% in Q4. Graph 6: Growth In Total Freight Payload Vs Real Transport Sector Growth The stabilisation of the logistics sector as reflected in the latest reading of the Ctrack TFI is indeed welcomed. So too is the significant attention given to freight and logistics in the recent National Budget. Over R400bn has been allocated to the sector, with specific provisions for road maintenance, rail infrastructure renewal, and public-private partnerships. The Minister also confirmed consideration for government guarantee support to Transnet, which has since materialised through Minister Creecy's R51bn guarantee facility to stabilise Transnet's capital programme and enable reform implementation. 'These developments intend to address structural inefficiencies and restore critical freight corridors. While implementation challenges persist, this renewed fiscal commitment and expanded private sector participation are pivotal in revitalising South Africa's trade-enabling infrastructure and improving logistics performance over the medium term.' says Hein Jordt, chief executive officer of Ctrack. For more information or further insights on the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index, feel free to reach out to us at or visit our website at - Your journey towards a more informed and resilient transport and logistics operation begins with Ctrack. Notice from Ctrack: The Ctrack Transport and Freight Index is published on a quarterly basis to provide insights into key industry trends and performance metrics. The next edition is scheduled for the end of September 2025.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
La-Z-Boy (LZB) Lags Q4 Earnings Estimates
La-Z-Boy (LZB) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.92 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.93 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.95 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -1.08%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this furniture company would post earnings of $0.67 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.68, delivering a surprise of 1.49%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. La-Z-Boy , which belongs to the Zacks Furniture industry, posted revenues of $570.87 million for the quarter ended April 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.21%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $553.53 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. La-Z-Boy shares have lost about 10.7% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 2.6%. While La-Z-Boy has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for La-Z-Boy: mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.64 on $502.4 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $3.23 on $2.16 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Furniture is currently in the top 38% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. One other stock from the same industry, Bassett Furniture (BSET), is yet to report results for the quarter ended May 2025. This furniture seller is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.15 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +179%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. Bassett Furniture's revenues are expected to be $81.2 million, down 2.7% from the year-ago quarter. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report La-Z-Boy Incorporated (LZB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Bassett Furniture Industries, Incorporated (BSET) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
