Lojas Americanas Quarterly Profit Misses Forecasts on Expenses

Lojas Americanas SA (LAME4), Brazil’s second- largest retailer by market value, yesterday posted a 36.4 percent drop in its first-quarter profit and missed forecasts as financial expenses increased.

Sao Paulo-based Lojas Americanas posted a profit of 36.3 million reais in the first quarter compared with a profit of 57.1 million reais in the same period last year, according to a statement on its website. The result was below the median estimate of nine analysts compiled by Bloomberg for adjusted profit of 50.2 million reais.

Lojas Americanas’s net financial result was a loss of 108.3 million reais in the quarter, compared with a loss of 69.5 million reais in the same period last year.

Net sales rose 18 percent to 1.45 billion reais from 1.23 billion reais a year earlier. For the consolidated group, sales including the subsidiaries rose 8.1 percent to 2.44 billion reais.

B2W Cia. Global de Varejo, Brazil’s biggest online retailer and a subsidiary of Lojas Americanas, also posted a worse-than- expected result in the quarter. B2W said it had a consolidated first-quarter loss of 42.8 million reais, worse than the mean estimate of nine analysts consulted by Bloomberg of an adjusted net loss of 17.6 million reais. The result compares with a 1.6 million loss a year earlier. Sales fell 2.7 percent to 1 billion reais.

To contact the reporter on this story: Fabiola Moura in Sao Paulo at fdemoura@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Telma Marotto at tmarotto1@bloomberg.net