Earnings roundup: HSN, Walmart, Nordstrom

New York--Three jewelry-selling retailers that reported their financials Thursday did not record strong increases in sales in the fourth quarter, despite the fact that it is generally the most wonderful time of the year for retailers.

HSN reported a 2 percent increase in fourth quarter sales, with jewelry cited as one of the weaker performers, while Walmart’s U.S. quarterly comps were flat and Nordstrom saw same-store sales increase 3 percent.

Below are highlights from the fourth quarter and full-year financial statements from these three companies.

HSN Inc.
HSN Inc., parent company of multi-media retailer HSN, reported Thursday that HSN’s sales for the three months ended Dec. 31 totaled $697.4 million compared with $683.8 million in the prior-year period, a 2 percent increase. 

Jewelry sales were slow while revenue grew in the health, beauty, and apparel and accessories categories.

Digital sales were up 7 percent. HSN’s gross profit increased 3 percent to $230.6 million during the quarter. 

Full-year sales for HSN were up 2 percent, from $2.27 billion in 2012 to $2.31 billion in 2013. Gross profit increased 1 percent for the year to $796.7 million.

As a whole, HSN Inc. reported a 4 percent increase in sales for the full year, from $3.27 billion in 2012 to $3.4 billion in 2013.

In commenting on the company as a whole CEO Mindy Grossman said, “Throughout 2013, we successfully managed the company to position us for long-term growth. We kept our focus on the customer, emphasized our unique content and proprietary products, strengthened our digital platform, further leveraged opportunities and synergies across the HSN and Cornerstone brands and returned value to our shareholders by delivering nearly $200 million through share repurchases and cash dividends.”

Walmart
Walmart Stores Inc. reported a 0.4 percent decline in same-store sales (excluding fuel) in the U.S. in the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31. Full-year comps were also down, declining by 0.6 percent.

Total sales reached $76.43 billion during the three-month period, a 2 percent increase from the $74.64 billion reported in the prior-year period. Sales for the fiscal year increased 2 percent to $279.41 billion.

At Sam’s Club, same-store sales (without fuel) during the quarter were down 0.1 percent, while the full year saw a 0.7 percent increase in comps. Total sales for the year were up 1 percent to $57.16 billion.

Operating income for Walmart’s U.S. stores during the fourth quarter was