Before Wednesday’s opening bell, Brown Shoe Company (BWS ) reported higher fourth quarter earnings, which beat analysts’ estimates.

BWS’s Earnings in Brief

• The company reported earnings of $16.24 million, or 37 cents per share, up from $6.16 million, or 14 cents per share, a year ago.
• Excluding special items, EPS was 20 cents – above analysts’ view of 16 cents.
• Revenue rose to $615.39 million from $599.96 million. Analysts expected to see revenue of $626 million.
• During the quarter, same store sales rose 4%.
• Looking forward to FY2015, BWS expects to see EPS between $1.78 and $1.88. Revenue is expected to be between $2.61 billion and $2.63 billion. On average, analysts are expecting to see EPS of $1.93 and $2.67 billion in revenue.

CFO Commentary

Brown Shoe’s CGRO Ken Hannah commented: “While we’re confident about our 2015 strategy, we are also cautious about the potential for product delays in the first half of the year, as the West Coast port situation is gradually untangled."

BWS’s Dividend

BWS paid its last 7 cent dividend on January 2. We expect the company to declare its next dividend in the coming days.

Click here to see the complete history of BWS dividends.

Stock Performance

Shares of BWS were down 21 cents, or 0.66% during premarket trading Wednesday. The stock has been mostly flat YTD.

The Bottom Line

Brown Shoe (BWS ) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.