Best Buy Says Q3 Sales 'Little Softer Than Expected' On Lower Demand For Appliances And Gaming, Trims Annual Forecast

On Tuesday, Best Buy Co., Inc BBY reported fiscal 2025 third-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.26, missing the consensus of $1.29.

Enterprise comparable sales fell 2.9%. Quarterly sales decreased to $9.45 billion from $9.76 billion a year ago, missing the analyst consensus of $9.63 billion.

Domestic revenue of $8.70 billion decreased 3.3% compared to last year, primarily due to a comparable sales decline of 2.8%.

From a merchandising perspective, the largest drivers of the comparable sales decline on a weighted basis were appliances, home theater, and gaming, partially offset by growth in the computing, tablets, and services categories.

Domestic online revenue of $2.73 billion decreased 1.0% on a comparable basis, and as a percentage of total Domestic revenue, online revenue was 31.4% versus 30.6% last year.

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“In the third quarter, our teams delivered an in-line non-GAAP operating income rate on sales that were a little softer than expected,” said Corie Barry, Best Buy CEO.

“During the second half of the quarter, a combination of the ongoing macro uncertainty, customers waiting for deals and sales events, and distraction during the run-up to the election, particularly in non-essential categories, led to softer-than-expected demand. In the first few weeks of Q4, as holiday sales have begun and the election is behind us, we have seen customer demand increase again.”

International revenue of $748 million decreased by 1.6%, driven by a comparable sales decline of 3.7% and the negative impact of foreign exchange rates, partially offset by revenue from Best Buy Express locations opened in Canada during FY25.

Outlook: Best Buy trimmed its fiscal year 2025 revenue outlook from $41.3 billion – $41.9 billion to $41.1 billion – $41.5 billion compared to the consensus of $41.59 billion.

The company revised the adjusted EPS outlook from $6.10 – $6.35 to $6.10 – $6.25, compared to the consensus of $6.25.

Comparable sales are expected to decline between 3.5% and 2.5%, compared to prior guidance for a decline between 3.0% and 1.5%.

Best Buy expects fourth-quarter comparable sales to be flat to down 3% and an adjusted operating income rate of 4.6% – 4.8%

Price Action: BBY stock is down 7.23% at $86.30 during the premarket session at last check Tuesday.

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