Wednesday, October 19, 2011

SuperValu returns to profit in its 2nd quarter

FILE - In this April 12, 2011 file photo, grocery carts are stacked outside the Save-a-Lot grocery store in Northfield, Ohio. The supermarket operator also cut the high end of its fiscal 2012 earnings outlook on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)

FILE - In this April 12, 2011 file photo, grocery carts are stacked outside the Save-a-Lot grocery store in Northfield, Ohio. The supermarket operator also cut the high end of its fiscal 2012 earnings outlook on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)

(AP) ? SuperValu Inc. returned to a profit in its fiscal second quarter, absent hefty goodwill and impairment charges incurred a year earlier.

The supermarket operator's results beat Wall Street estimates, but it cut the high end of its fiscal 2012 earnings outlook on Wednesday.

Supervalu launched a turnaround plan well over a year ago that has started to pay off. The company brought in new management, cut costs, lowered debt, closed stores and shifted to a heavier emphasis on tailoring its stores to local needs. It also has been expanding its low-price Save-A-Lot chain to meet the demands of cost-conscious shoppers. The company also announced in September that it would sell most of its gas stations as a way to free up cash.

SuperValu, which runs SuperValu, Jewel-Osco, Albertsons and other supermarket chains, reported net income of $60 million, or 28 cents per share, for the period ended Sept. 10. That compares with a loss of $1.47 billion, or $6.94 per share, a year ago.

The prior-year period included goodwill and impairment charges of $7.16 per share as well as certain other costs totalling 6 cents per share. Removing those items, earnings were 28 cents per share.

The latest results beat the 20 cents per share that analysts surveyed by FactSet expected.

Revenue dropped 3 percent to $8.43 billion from $8.66 billion, but still beat Wall Street's estimate of $8.36 billion.

Retail food sales slipped to $6.6 billion from $6.7 billion mostly because SuperValu exited certain markets and its revenue at stores open at least a year fell 1.8 percent. This metric is a key gauge of a retailer's health because it excludes results from stores recently opened or closed.

Independent business sales declined to $1.8 billion rom $2 billion primarily due to Target Corp.'s shift to self-distribution and the sale of Total Logistic Control.

For fiscal 2012, SuperValu now expects earnings between $1.20 and $1.30 per share. Its prior guidance called for earnings in a range of $1.20 to $1.40 per share. The company's outlook assumes revenue of about $36.5 billion, down from a prior forecast of $37 billion.

Analysts expect earnings of $1.21 per share on revenue of $36.51 billion.

SuperValu expects full-year revenue at stores open at least a year to be down 2 percent to 2.5 percent, excluding fuel.

SuperValu has a network of about 4,300 stores and approximately 135,000 employees.

Its stock fell 27 cents, or 3.3 percent, to $7.90 in late morning trading.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-10-19-US-Earns-SuperValu/id-76628687a46e41ce9ef248f4c196a92d

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