$1.16 EPS Expected for Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE:BIG) This Quarter

Equities research analysts predict that Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE:BIG – Get Rating) will report $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Five analysts have provided estimates for Big Lots’ earnings, with the lowest EPS estimate coming in at $0.98 and the highest estimate coming in at $1.34. Big Lots posted earnings per share of $2.62 during the same quarter last year, which indicates a negative year over year growth rate of 55.7%. The business is expected to issue its next earnings results on Monday, January 1st.

On average, analysts expect that Big Lots will report full year earnings of $4.91 per share for the current financial year, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.34 to $5.54. For the next financial year, analysts anticipate that the company will post earnings of $5.57 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.94 to $5.99. Zacks’ earnings per share averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that cover Big Lots.

Big Lots (NYSE:BIG – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 3rd. The company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.89 by ($0.14). Big Lots had a net margin of 2.89% and a return on equity of 16.21%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on shares of Big Lots from $53.00 to $50.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Big Lots from $48.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Big Lots from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $54.00 to $31.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Big Lots from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 7th. Finally, TheStreet lowered shares of Big Lots from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, February 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Big Lots presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.33.

In other Big Lots news, EVP Nicholas E. Padovano sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.39, for a total value of $46,007.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nicholas E. Padovano sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.39, for a total transaction of $34,551.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $349,918 in the last ninety days. 1.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BIG. Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of Big Lots by 137.7% during the second quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 588,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,867,000 after buying an additional 341,116 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Big Lots by 0.6% during the third quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 55,006 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,385,000 after buying an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its position in shares of Big Lots by 29.1% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 48,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,088,000 after buying an additional 10,866 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Big Lots by 2.8% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 30,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,318,000 after buying an additional 841 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. grew its position in shares of Big Lots by 12.2% during the third quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 36,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,578,000 after buying an additional 3,960 shares in the last quarter. 99.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Shares of NYSE BIG traded up $1.04 on Wednesday, reaching $36.15. 756,339 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,228,105. Big Lots has a fifty-two week low of $31.43 and a fifty-two week high of $73.23. The company has a 50 day moving average of $36.62 and a 200 day moving average of $42.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 6.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 2.19.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 18th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 17th. Big Lots’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.08%.

Big Lots Company Profile (Get Rating)

Big Lots, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer in the United States. The company offers products under various merchandising categories, such as furniture category that includes upholstery, mattress, case goods, and ready-to-assemble departments; seasonal category, which comprises patio furniture, gazebos, Christmas trim, and other holiday departments; soft home category that consists of fashion and utility bedding, bath, window, decorative textile, home organization, area rugs, home décor, and frames departments; and food category that includes beverage and grocery, candy and snacks, and specialty foods departments.

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