Jewellery Maker Pandora Raises Guidance After Q1 Revenue Beat

The Pandora logo is seen in jewellery shop in downtown Rome, Italy, August 7, 2018. (Reuters)
The Pandora logo is seen in jewellery shop in downtown Rome, Italy, August 7, 2018. (Reuters)
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Jewellery Maker Pandora Raises Guidance After Q1 Revenue Beat

The Pandora logo is seen in jewellery shop in downtown Rome, Italy, August 7, 2018. (Reuters)
The Pandora logo is seen in jewellery shop in downtown Rome, Italy, August 7, 2018. (Reuters)

Danish jewellery maker Pandora on Wednesday raised its full-year revenue outlook after reporting results for the first quarter slightly above analyst forecasts. "We have started 2023 well with resilient growth and solid margins," Chief Executive Alexander Lacik said in a statement. "The macroeconomic outlook remains uncertain, but we are confident in our ability to adapt and thrive as we've proven over the past few quarters," Lacik added. The company now expects to generate organic sales growth between -2% and 3% this year, better than its earlier estimate of between -3% and 3%. Analysts expect 2% sales growth this year, according to a poll gathered by the company. Pandora, known for its customizable silver charms and bracelets, reported 1% organic sales growth for the quarter, above the -1% expected by analysts. The group's sales for the January-March period rose to 5.85 billion Danish crowns ($865.18 million) from 5.7 billion a year ago, compared to an average of 5.7 billion crowns expected by analysts in a poll gathered by the company.



Nike Shares Jump as Ackman’s Return Sparks Turnaround Hopes

The logo of Dow Jones Industrial Average stock market index listed company Nike (NKE) is seen in Los Angeles, California, United States, April 12, 2016. (Reuters)
The logo of Dow Jones Industrial Average stock market index listed company Nike (NKE) is seen in Los Angeles, California, United States, April 12, 2016. (Reuters)
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Nike Shares Jump as Ackman’s Return Sparks Turnaround Hopes

The logo of Dow Jones Industrial Average stock market index listed company Nike (NKE) is seen in Los Angeles, California, United States, April 12, 2016. (Reuters)
The logo of Dow Jones Industrial Average stock market index listed company Nike (NKE) is seen in Los Angeles, California, United States, April 12, 2016. (Reuters)

Nike shares gained nearly 4% on Thursday as investors hoped the return of billionaire William Ackman as a stakeholder could spark a turnaround at the sportswear giant that has been battling with strategy missteps and tough competition.

Ackman's hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management now owns roughly 3 million shares of Nike, amounting to a stake of about 0.19%, a filing showed on Wednesday. He has not revealed any plans for the investment yet.

"He's going to have the ear of the executives at Nike and be able to lend some influence on maybe how to get the ship righted, as it were, for Nike at this point in time to try and find their way back home," said Brian Mulberry, client portfolio manager at Zacks Investment Management, which owned $25.79 million worth of Nike shares as of June.

The stock has lost nearly a third of its value this year and the company has forecast a drop in annual sales for fiscal 2025, leading some Wall Street analysts and investors to raise the possibility of a management shake-up including CEO John Donahoe.

When an activist investor comes in, the ultimate goal "will be replacing the person that sits in the corner office," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth.

"And I say that because the template for that has been very clear this week in the form of Starbucks."

Starbucks poached Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol earlier this week, tapping the industry veteran behind the burrito chain's turnaround to revitalize growth at its coffee outlets.

Niccol joining Chipotle in 2018 was also the result of one of Ackman's pressure campaigns that have often led to CEO changes at companies including J.C. Penney and Air Products and Chemicals.

Ackman last invested in Nike in late 2017, around the time when the company was losing market share in North America to a reinvigorated Adidas.

He exited Nike a few months later in 2018, making roughly $100 million in profit by cashing out of the 0.71% stake - a rare passive investment for the billionaire investor.

Analysts and investors hinted on Thursday it might be early days for Ackman's second stint as an investor at Nike and he will need to build a larger stake to make an impact.

Nike's forward price-to-earnings ratio for the next 12 months, a common benchmark for valuing stocks, was 24.26, compared with Adidas' 36.75.