Next PLC (LSE:NXT) is to grace investors with preliminary full-year results next Thursday, 21 March, after repeatedly having hiked guidance in previous updates.
“While many retailers have whinged about the British weather in 2023, dished out profit warnings, or both, the FTSE 100 firm has got on with the job and raised guidance for both sales growth and profits on no fewer than five occasions in the past year,” AJ Bell’s Russ Mould said.
Pre-tax profit of £905 million is expected for the year, therefore, up 4%, on the back of an anticipated 2.5% uptick in full-price sales.
He added analysts would look to the update for further information around Next’s purchase of an additional equity stake in Reiss this year, alongside news of its FatFace takeover and the ongoing integration of Joules.
Clarity on the distribution of sales between online platforms and Next’s physical stores will also be sought, as per Mould.
News on dividends or capital returns is not expected until Next’s more comprehensive results later in the year, meanwhile.