Best Buy Reports Mixed Q4 Earnings and Cautious Guidance
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1 hour ago
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Should l Buy BBY?
Source: seekingalpha
- Revenue Decline: Best Buy's total revenue for Q4 dipped 1.0% year-over-year to $13.8 billion, with domestic revenue down 1.1% to $12.6 billion, primarily driven by a 0.8% decline in comparable sales, indicating slightly weaker customer demand during the holiday quarter.
- Gross Margin Stability: The company's domestic gross profit rate remained flat at 20.9%, slightly exceeding the consensus estimate of 20.8%, supported by growth in Best Buy Ads and Marketplace, although this was offset by lower product margin rates.
- International Revenue Growth: International revenue increased by 0.5% to $1.24 billion, primarily due to favorable foreign exchange rates, although this was partially offset by a 1.3% decline in comparable sales, highlighting challenges in the global market.
- Cautious Future Outlook: Best Buy projects FY27 revenue between $41.2 billion and $42.1 billion, with adjusted EPS expectations of $6.30 to $6.60, both below consensus estimates, reflecting the company's cautious stance on navigating a mixed macroeconomic environment.
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Analyst Views on BBY
Wall Street analysts forecast BBY stock price to rise
12 Analyst Rating
4 Buy
7 Hold
1 Sell
Hold
Current: 61.590
Low
60.00
Averages
79.75
High
96.00
Current: 61.590
Low
60.00
Averages
79.75
High
96.00
About BBY
Best Buy Co., Inc. is engaged in personalizing and humanizing technology solutions. The Company has two segments: Domestic and International. The Domestic segment comprises its operations in all states, districts and territories of the United States and its Best Buy Health business and includes the brand names Best Buy, Best Buy Ads, Best Buy Business, Best Buy Essentials, Best Buy Health, Geek Squad, Imagine That, Insignia, Lively, My Best Buy, My Best Buy Memberships, Pacific Kitchen and Home, TechLiquidators and Yardbird; and the domain names bestbuy.com, lively.com, techliquidators.com and yardbird.com. The International segment comprises all its operations in Canada under the brand names Best Buy, Best Buy Express, Best Buy Mobile, Geek Squad and TechLiquidators and the domain names bestbuy.ca and techliquidators.ca. The Company’s product categories include computing and mobile phones, consumer electronics, appliances, entertainment, services and others.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Earnings Announcement Date: Best Buy is set to release its Q4 earnings on March 3rd before market open, with consensus EPS estimate at $2.47, reflecting a 4.3% year-over-year decline, indicating sales pressure amid increased market competition.
- Revenue Expectations: The anticipated revenue for Q4 is $13.88 billion, down 0.5% year-over-year, suggesting that consumer spending may be constrained due to economic slowdown and a slump in the housing market, impacting overall performance.
- Historical Performance Review: Over the past two years, Best Buy has beaten EPS estimates 88% of the time and revenue estimates 63% of the time, indicating a strong track record of exceeding market expectations, although the current trend of estimate revisions may affect this performance.
- Estimate Revision Trends: In the last three months, there have been no upward revisions for EPS estimates, with 8 downward adjustments, and similarly, revenue estimates saw no upward revisions but 5 downward adjustments, reflecting analysts' cautious outlook on the company's future performance, which may affect investor confidence.
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- Financial Performance: Best Buy's Q4 report shows a profit increase despite soft sales, indicating the company's resilience in challenging conditions, which may attract investor interest.
- Future Outlook: The company also provided a full-year outlook, reflecting management's confidence in future performance, which could influence market perceptions of its stock.
- Rating Upgrade: Analysts have upgraded Best Buy's rating, citing its attractive current stock price, especially with a 5% dividend yield, potentially appealing to income-seeking investors.
- Market Reaction: Following the earnings report, Best Buy's stock rallied, reflecting market recognition of the company's future potential, which may enhance its competitive position in the retail sector.
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- Revenue Decline: Best Buy's total revenue for Q4 dipped 1.0% year-over-year to $13.8 billion, with domestic revenue down 1.1% to $12.6 billion, primarily driven by a 0.8% decline in comparable sales, indicating slightly weaker customer demand during the holiday quarter.
- Gross Margin Stability: The company's domestic gross profit rate remained flat at 20.9%, slightly exceeding the consensus estimate of 20.8%, supported by growth in Best Buy Ads and Marketplace, although this was offset by lower product margin rates.
- International Revenue Growth: International revenue increased by 0.5% to $1.24 billion, primarily due to favorable foreign exchange rates, although this was partially offset by a 1.3% decline in comparable sales, highlighting challenges in the global market.
- Cautious Future Outlook: Best Buy projects FY27 revenue between $41.2 billion and $42.1 billion, with adjusted EPS expectations of $6.30 to $6.60, both below consensus estimates, reflecting the company's cautious stance on navigating a mixed macroeconomic environment.
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- Target's Strong Earnings: Target reported an adjusted earnings per share of $2.44 for Q4, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.16, although its revenue of $30.45 billion fell slightly short of consensus, demonstrating resilience in a competitive retail environment.
- Best Buy's Robust Performance: Best Buy's adjusted earnings per share for Q4 reached $2.61, surpassing the $2.47 expected by analysts, despite revenue of $13.81 billion missing the $13.88 billion consensus, indicating sustained appeal in the electronics retail sector.
- On Holding's Disappointing Outlook: On Holding anticipates net sales growth of at least 23% by 2026, which is below the consensus estimate of 3.7 billion Swiss francs, leading to a nearly 10% drop in stock price, reflecting investor concerns about future growth.
- MongoDB's Decline: MongoDB expects first-quarter adjusted earnings per share between $1.15 and $1.19, falling short of the $1.21 forecasted by analysts, with revenue expectations also missing the mark, resulting in a more than 26% plunge in stock price, highlighting market disappointment in its growth prospects.
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- Financial Highlights: Best Buy's report reveals a holiday quarter sales decline to $13.81 billion, missing the $13.88 billion expectation, yet adjusted earnings per share of $2.61 exceeded the forecast of $2.47, indicating improved profitability.
- Annual Outlook: The company anticipates fiscal year 2024 revenue between $41.2 billion and $42.1 billion, slightly lower than the $41.69 billion reported for fiscal year 2023, with adjusted earnings per share projected at $6.30 to $6.60, reflecting a cautious outlook on future market conditions.
- Sales Trends: Although comparable sales fell by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, growth in computing and mobile phone sales partially offset declines in appliances and home theaters, indicating persistent consumer demand for certain electronics.
- Advertising Business Growth: Best Buy has successfully pivoted to more profitable ventures by increasing ad sales and expanding its third-party marketplace, with the number of advertising partners nearly doubling and a significant increase in product offerings, showcasing positive progress in diversifying revenue streams.
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- Sales Performance Analysis: Best Buy's holiday quarter sales fell to $13.81 billion, missing Wall Street's expectations of $13.88 billion, although adjusted earnings per share of $2.61 exceeded the expected $2.47, indicating improved profitability.
- Annual Revenue Outlook: The company forecasts revenue for fiscal 2024 to range between $41.2 billion and $42.1 billion, slightly lower than the $41.69 billion reported for fiscal 2023, reflecting continued weak consumer demand for electronics.
- Comparable Sales Trends: Comparable sales dropped 0.8% in the fourth quarter, primarily due to weaker sales of appliances and home theaters, although growth in computing and mobile phone sales partially offset this decline, indicating market segmentation.
- Advertising Business Growth: Best Buy has leaned into more profitable ventures, with its advertising partners nearly doubling and a significant increase in product offerings through its third-party marketplace, showcasing the company's successful strategy in diversifying revenue streams.
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