Q: Thoughts please on the quarter? Thx
5i Research Answer:
EPS of 46c missed estimates of 47c; revenue of $16.27B missed estimates of $16.76B. EBITDA of $1.21B matched estimates. Revenue fell 7.5%, mainly due to lower fuel prices and weaker gas demand in the US. Same store merchandise revenue fell 0.4% in the US but was up 3.5% in Canada and up 3.4% in Europe. Fuel volumes fell nearly 2% in the US. The press release did not mention the 7/11 deal at all. For the year, $519M in stock was re-purchased and cancelled. 41 new stores were built in the quarter. Not a blow-out quarter, but hardly a disaster. We may get more from the conference call later today.