Tiffany & Co Reports In-Line Q4 EPS; Weak Outlook (TIF)

Before the opening bell on Friday, jewelry company Tiffany & Co (TIF ) turned a profit for the fourth quarter, which matched analysts’ estimates, but its weaker-than-expected outlook sent shares lower in premarket trading.

TIF’s Earnings in Brief

• TIF reported net income of $196.18 million, or $1.51 per share, compared to a net loss of $103.6 million, or 81 cents per share, last year.
• Sales declined 1% to $1.29 billion from $1.30 billion.
• On average, analysts expected to see EPS of $1.51 and $1.31 billion in revenue.
• Looking ahead to FY2015, the company expects to see minimal EPS growth from its FY2014 EPS of $4.20.

CEO Commentary

The company’s CEO and President Frederic Cumenal commented: “Tiffany is facing challenges from global economic uncertainties, especially from the effect of a strong U.S. dollar on the translation of foreign-denominated sales into dollars and on foreign tourist spending in the U.S. As a result, we have adopted a cautious approach in our planning for the coming year, anticipating modest growth in net sales and minimal net earnings growth for the full year; this assumes pressure on sales and earnings in the first half of the year followed by healthy growth in the second half. Longer-term, we see an exciting future for Tiffany as we pursue important expansion opportunities.”

TIF’s Dividend

TIF will pay its next 38 cent dividend on April 10. The stock went ex-dividend on March 18. We expect TIF to declare its next dividend in May.

Click here to see the complete history of TIF dividends.

Stock Performance

Shares of TIF were down $2.87, or -3.32% during premarket trading Friday. The stock is down 19.17% YTD.

The Bottom Line

Tiffany & Co (TIF ) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.4 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.