Is Tiffany Losing Its Sheen? - Analyst Blog

After four successive quarters of earnings beats, Tiffany & Company TIF missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, when it reported the final quarter of fiscal 2013 on Mar 21. Since then the shares of this designer, manufacturer and retailer of fine jewelry has fallen roughly 5%.

Estimates have shown a downtrend since it posted the results. The softness in results triggered a downtrend in the Zacks Consensus Estimates, as analysts become less constructive on the stock's future performance.

This is evident from the movement witnessed in the Zacks Consensus Estimate that tumbled 3.3% to $4.12 for fiscal 2014 in the past 30 days. For fiscal 2015, the Zacks Consensus Estimate slipped 2.1% to $4.74 in the same period.

We observe that both the top and bottom lines fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Tiffany posted fourth-quarter fiscal 2013 adjusted earnings of $1.47 per share that missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.52. Net sales of $1,298.3 million came below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,303 million.

However, what provided some respite to the stock was that both the top and bottom lines registered year-over-year growth of 5%. We believe Tiffany holds a significant position in the world jewelry market, and its long-term growth prospects remain encouraging given its new product launches and focus on enhancing its geographic reach through the store expansion program.

Tiffany currently sports a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Other Stocks to Consider

Other better ranked retail stocks that look promising include Zale Corp. ZLC and Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. KORS both sporting Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Hanesbrands Inc. HBI holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).