Zumiez Inc. reported a profit in the first quarter that significantly exceeded Wall Street’s estimates as sales doubled.

Net sales for the first quarter ended May 1, 2021 (13 weeks) increased 102.6 percent to $279.1 million from $137.8 million in the first quarter ended May 2, 2020 (13 weeks). Compared to the first quarter ended May 4, 2019 (13 weeks), first quarter 2021 net sales increased 31.1 percent. Wall Street’s consensus estimate had been $215.9 million.

Net income in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 was $26.4 million, or $1.03 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $21.1 million, or $(0.84) per diluted share, in the first quarter of the prior fiscal year. Net income for the first quarter of 2019 was $0.08 million, or $0.03 per diluted share.  Wall Street’s consensus estimate had been 1 cent.

At May 1, 2021, the company had cash and current marketable securities of $400.4 million compared to cash and current marketable securities of $217.2 million at May 2, 2020. The increase in cash and current marketable securities was driven by cash generated through operations partially offset by capital expenditures.

“After demonstrating great resiliency during the height of the pandemic, our business has exceeded pre-COVID levels even as a portion of our global store fleet remains closed. Our performance amidst very challenging conditions over the past year, and more recently as the operating environment has improved underscores our market-leading position and the strength of our business model. Sales trends accelerated as the first quarter progressed driven by our ability to capture a meaningful share of the heightened discretionary spending in the U.S. related to government stimulus, especially in our stores, as customers are becoming increasingly comfortable returning to in-person shopping. The strong sales gains on both a one and two-year basis combined with the shift back to our historical channel mix following elevated online spending in 2020, fueled a dramatic increase in first-quarter profitability. We are very pleased with our start to 2021 and are optimistic that we can maintain our positive momentum over the remainder of the year. With our strong balance sheet and differentiated strategies, we are well-positioned to add to our global market share and return increased value to our shareholders over the long-term.”

May 2021 Sales
Net sales for the four-week period ended May 29, 2021 increased 42.4 percent compared to the four-week period ended May 30, 2020 and increased 30.5 percent compared to the four-week period ended June 1, 2019.

Outlook
Due to the continued fast-moving nature of this situation and the uncertainty of impacts on revenue and costs, the company is not providing an outlook at this time for the second quarter or the year.

Photo courtesy Zumiez NYC