Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany & Co. (TIF - Analyst Report) has performed well against the market over the past year, more than doubling the return of the major averages. The company’s third-quarter earnings of 33 cents per share came in 43.5% ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

Company Description

Tiffany & Co. is a jeweler and specialty retailer that designs, manufactures and sells an extensive selection of jewelry as well as timepieces, sterling silverware, china, crystal, stationery, fragrances and accessories.

Solid Earnings and a Surging Share Price

The company has performed well against the market over the past year, more than doubling the return of the major averages.

The company’s third-quarter earnings of 33 cents per share came in 43.5% ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Net sales of $598 million came in above the company's expectations and were 3% below last year's total. Comparable store sales slipped 6% year-over-year.

Michael J. Kowalski, chairman and chief executive officer, said, "We were pleased to see that the rate of sales declines in the U.S. lessened as the quarter progressed. At the same time, many countries in Asia-Pacific and Europe achieved considerably better-than-expected sales. These results, combined with ongoing expense restraint, contributed to earnings above our prior expectation."

Bullish Forecasts

Tiffany & Co. hiked its current full-year earnings guidance to a range of $1.88 - $1.98 per share.

Analysts polled by Zacks are in agreement, calling for earnings of $1.94 per share, up from last month's $1.77. For the following year, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.21 per share compares to last month's $2.10.

Strong Fundamentals

The company offers a return on equity (ROE) of 13.5%, which nearly doubles the industry average of 7.5%. TIF's net profit margin of 6% soars past a negative industry average. The company also pays an industry-leading dividend yield of 1.6%.

Alex Kolb is the Growth & Income Stock Strategist for Zacks.com. He also writes the popular daily commentary column for the ZacksElite.com service.

Read the full analyst report on TIF