Why This Foot Locker Analyst Is Turning Bullish Ahead Of Q4 Results

Foot Locker Inc FL is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings on March 20.

The earnings release could be a catalyst for the stock, with new CEO Mary Dillon expecting to outline her transformation plan and financial objectives, according to Telsey Advisory Group.

The Analyst: Cristina Fernández upgraded the rating for Foot Locker from Market Perform to Outperform, while raising the price target from $39 to $50.

The Thesis: The company is expected to guide to earnings of around $4.00 per share for 2023, “given a more discerning consumer, higher promotions, and the need for investments,” Fernández said in the upgrade note.

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“We expect Foot Locker to guide to a return to LSD-MSD comp growth in 2024 and toward the 2019 operating margin of ~9% by 2025, driven primarily by SG&A savings from cost reduction efforts,” the analyst wrote.

“We anticipate Foot Locker will continue to diversify its sales and lean on its expanded partnerships with adidas, Puma, and Reebok and the addition of Hoka and On Running,” Fernández mentioned. “Any sign the Nike relationship has improved will instill greater confidence in the story."

FL Price Action: Shares of Foot Locker had risen by 0.68% to $41.32 at the time of publication Thursday.