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Crocs' Q4 Earnings Coming Up: What Surprise Awaits Investors?

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Crocs, Inc. (CROX - Free Report) is scheduled to release fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 13, before market open. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $963 million, indicating a rise of 0.3% from the prior-year figure.

The consensus estimate for earnings per share has dipped 3.8% in the past 30 days to $2.28. The estimate indicates a decline of 11.6% from the year-ago period’s number.

The Broomfield, CO-based company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 17.3%, on average. In the last reported quarter, its bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 15%.

Stay up-to-date with all quarterly releases: See Zacks Earnings Calendar.

Key Factors to Note Ahead of CROX’s Results

Crocs’ quarterly results are likely to reflect gains from robust consumer demand and strength in its core brands, along with effective pricing strategies. The company has been seeing strength in clogs, sandals and personalization for a while now. Its Jibbitz business has also been doing well for quite some time. These, coupled with its solid direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel, are likely to have driven the company’s performance.

Lower product costs, along with a favorable channel mix and price increases, are likely to have boosted the company’s margins. Solid consumer demand across the Crocs brand is likely to have bolstered CROX’s performance. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the brand is pegged at $750 million, reflecting growth of 2.5% year over year. The consensus mark for the company’s DTC revenues is currently pegged at $567 million, up 3.1% from the year-ago period.

Management, in its last earnings call, had projected revenues to remain flat or increase slightly year over year in constant currency. It had anticipated Crocs brand’s fourth-quarter revenues to grow 2% year over year.

However, the company has been witnessing soft trends in its HEYDUDE brand for a while. This, along with a volatile operating backdrop, is likely to have hurt its performance. The company has been struggling with higher selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses for a while. These limitations are likely to have contributed to reduced profitability.

Management had earlier anticipated SG&A costs to rise in the high teens in the fourth quarter, with higher talent, digital and marketing investments than the year-to-date trend. It had projected the HEYDUDE brand’s revenues to decline in the band of 4-6%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the metric is pegged at $214 million, indicating a dip of 6% year over year. It had envisioned an adjusted operating margin of nearly 19.5% and adjusted earnings per share of $2.20-$2.28.

What Our Model Unveils for Crocs

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Crocs this season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that’s not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Crocs currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.44% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Crocs, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Crocs, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Crocs, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Crocs, Inc. Quote

CROX’s Valuation Picture

From a valuation perspective, Crocs offers an attractive opportunity, trading at a discount relative to the historical and industry benchmarks. With a forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 7.41x, which is below the five-year high of 34.18x and the Textile - Apparel industry’s average of 14.12x, the stock offers compelling value for investors seeking exposure to the sector.

The recent market movements show that Crocs’ shares have lost 27.5% in the past six months against the industry's 32.7% growth.

Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates

Here are some companies, which according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat:

Accel Entertainment (ACEL - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +26.83% and a Zacks Rank of 1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

ACEL is likely to register top-line growth when it reports fourth-quarter 2024 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its quarterly revenues is pegged at $308.9 million, indicating 4% growth from the figure in the year-ago quarter. 

The consensus estimate for ACEL’s earnings is pegged at 21 cents a share, indicating a 19.2% drop from the year-ago quarter’s actual. ACEL has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 26.1%, on average.

lululemon athletica (LULU - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.25% and a Zacks Rank of 2. 

LULU is likely to register top-line growth when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2024 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its quarterly revenues is pegged at $3.6 billion, indicating 11.5% growth from the figure in the year-ago quarter.

The consensus estimate for LULU’s earnings is pegged at $5.83 a share, implying a 10.2% increase from the year-earlier quarter. LULU has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6.7%, on average.

Hasbro (HAS - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +7.33% and a Zacks Rank of 3. HAS is likely to register bottom and top-line declines when it reports fourth-quarter 2024 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its quarterly revenues is pegged at $1 billion, indicating a 20.4% decrease from the figure in the year-ago quarter. 

The consensus estimate for HAS’ earnings is pegged at 36 cents per share, implying a 5.3% drop from the year-ago quarter’s actual. HAS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 44%, on average.


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