Goldman Maintains Neutral On Finish Line Ahead Of Q1 Earnings

Finish Line Inc FINL is scheduled to report its F1Q17 results before market open on June 24.

Goldman Sachs’ Taposh Bari maintains a Neutral rating on the company, with a price target of $19.

1Q Expectations

Bari expects Finish Line to report its F1Q17 EPS below the consensus expectations, with 2 percent same store sales growth, revised down from the earlier estimate of 3 percent.

“Our view is based on a combination of FL’s commentary on results for the month of April and broader macro data-points from the rest of retail,” the analyst explained.

Related Link: 4 Reasons To Like Finish Line Over The Long Term

Bari believes that investor expectations are low heading into the print, and that the concerns are justified, given the changing athletic footwear trends and mixed macro data points across the retail space.

Looking Ahead

“While the environment appears to have become less accommodative for FINL, there is still an opportunity for the company to improve its execution under new CEO Sam Sato,” the analyst mentioned.

Finish Line has identified some strategic opportunities, such as improved merchandising, store remodeling and store closures.

“While benefits from these initiatives are unlikely to be immediate, we continue to believe that improving execution is the key for management to build credibility with investors,” the analyst added.