Best Buy earnings beat Wall Street's forecasts; retailer raises outlook

Core Insights - Best Buy reported third quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations, leading to an optimistic outlook for the holiday shopping season [1][2] - The company raised its full-year same-store sales growth forecast from a previously expected decline to a range of 0.5%-1.2% [2][3] Financial Performance - Same-store sales increased by 2.7% in Q3, surpassing the 1.6% forecast by analysts [1] - Adjusted earnings per share were $1.40, exceeding the expected $1.30, with total revenue of $9.67 billion, above the anticipated $9.58 billion [1] - US same-store sales rose by 2.4%, online same-store sales increased by 3.5%, and international same-store sales jumped by 6.3% [2] Future Outlook - Best Buy forecasts full-year revenue between $41.65 billion and $41.95 billion, an increase from the previous range of $41.1 billion to $41.9 billion [3] - Adjusted earnings per share are expected to be between $6.25 and $6.35, higher than the previous range of $6.15 to $6.30 [3] - For Q4, the company anticipates same-store sales growth to range from a 1% decline to a 1% increase, with adjusted operating income rate expected between 4.8% and 4.9% [4] Strategic Insights - CEO Corie Barry highlighted that sales were driven by strong performance in computing, gaming, and mobile phones, attributing growth to innovation and replacement cycles [3][5] - Barry noted that customers are willing to invest more in upgrades to "future-proof" their technology in anticipation of advancements in AI [5]