Overview of Fourth Quarter Results#
Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has released its fourth quarter financial results, which did not meet Wall Street expectations. The sporting goods retailer reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.97 for the quarter ending January 31, 2026, falling short of the anticipated $2.05. Revenue for the quarter reached $1.72 billion, which was below the expected $1.75 billion, although this figure represents a 2.5% increase from $1.68 billion in the same period last year.
Comparable Sales Performance#
The company experienced a 1.6% decline in comparable store sales during the quarter. This is an improvement compared to the 3.0% decline reported in the previous year. Following the announcement of these results, Academy Sports' shares dropped by 5.3%.
CEO's Insights and Future Outlook#
Steve Lawrence, the Chief Executive Officer, commented on the company's performance, stating, "This past year marked an inflection point for Academy as we continued to gain market share and moved back to topline growth." He acknowledged that macroeconomic challenges faced by customers in the latter half of the year are likely to persist into 2026. However, he expressed optimism that the company's strategies would lead to consistent growth in comparable sales.
Full Year Performance and Future Guidance#
For the entire fiscal year 2025, Academy reported net sales of $6.05 billion, reflecting a 2.0% increase year-over-year. The adjusted EPS for the year was $5.78, which is a 4.0% decrease from the previous year. Looking ahead, the company has projected fiscal 2026 net sales between $6.18 billion and $6.36 billion, indicating growth of 2.0% to 5.0%. The midpoint of this range suggests a 3.5% increase. Additionally, Academy expects adjusted EPS to be between $6.10 and $6.60, with the midpoint indicating a 9.9% growth compared to fiscal 2025. The Board of Directors also announced a 15% increase in the quarterly dividend to $0.15 per share.