What happened
Shares of Rent-A-Center (RCII -2.70%) fell sharply today after the rent-to-own retailer posted a solid third-quarter earnings report, but lowered its full-year guidance.
As a result, the stock closed down 18.4% Thursday.
Image source: Getty Images.
So what
Rent-A-Center's revenue jumped 65.9% to $1.18 billion, matching estimates. Growth was driven by its recent acquisition of Acima, a buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) platform. On a pro forma basis, revenue was up 13%, and Rent-A-Center same-store sales increased 12%.
Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) increased 4.1% in the quarter to $170.2 million, as margins fell on higher operating costs. On the bottom line, adjusted earnings per share increased from $1.04 to $1.52, ahead of the consensus of $1.50.
CEO Mitch Fadel said, "I am pleased to say we had a productive third quarter, delivering strong top line results despite the impact on consumers from the wind down of government COVID-19 relief programs and the global supply chain disruptions. On the strategic front, we made substantial progress toward our long-term objectives, with the Acima FinTech Ecosystem rollout showing early promise and the Rent-A-Center Business advancing its best-in-class omnichannel functionality."
Now what
While the third-quarter results were strong, fiscal 2021 guidance seemed to turn off investors. The company called for revenue of $4.55 billion to $4.64 billion, down from a prior forecast of $4.55 billion to $4.67 billion. On the bottom line, it called for adjusted earnings per share of $5.90 to $6.15, below the previous range of $5.90 to $6.40 and analyst estimates of $6.26.
The company said it's cutting its guidance to reflect "recent developments in customer payment activity caused by the expiration of government programs related to COVID-19 and the supply chain disruptions." That statement indicates that default rates could be on the rise, which may explain why the company scaled back its earnings guidance.
The stock looks cheap now at a single-digit price-to-earnings ratio, but the specter of customer defaults seems to have spooked the market.
