Special Situation: Roots IPO

Article Excerpt

ROOTS CORP. $10.06 (Toronto symbol ROOT) is a Canadian fashion retailer focused on sweats and other casual clothing. It also makes leather goods, including handbags, jackets and shoes. The chain has 116 stores in Canada, four in the U.S., and 138 across Taiwan and China. A partner operates those Asian outlets. On October 25, 2017, Roots completed an initial public offering (IPO) on the Toronto exchange. It sold 16.7 million shares at $12.00 each. In its first earnings report since the IPO, the company earned $0.23 share in the quarter ended October 28, 2017. That disregards unusual items, including costs related to the IPO. Based on pro-forma numbers, the latest results are up 27.8% from $0.18 a year earlier. Due to the opening of four new stores, sales in the quarter jumped 13.0%, to $89.7 million from $79.4 million. Same-store sales rose 10.1%. The stock continues to trade below the IPO price. That’s mainly due to concerns about strong competition from online retailers. Another…