Next PLC (LSE:NXT)’s fourth quarter update next Tuesday, 7 January will confirm whether the retailer can live up to guidance for its first ever £1 billion-plus profit.
In its latest guidance hike, Next last October said full-year pre-tax profit should jump 9.5% to £1.005 billion, against 8.4% to £995 million as previously forecast.
Full-price sales were seen climbing 4.9% to £5.02 billion in the meantime, compared to former guidance for a 4.0% increase to £4.98 billion.
Next has become renowned for repeatedly lifting guidance in recent years, with October’s hike following expectation-beating full-price sales growth of 7.6% in the first nine months of the year.
However, shares have dropped by 10% from an all-time high in excess of 10,500p seen last autumn “as the quantum of the upgrades has shrunk,” AJ Bell analysts pointed out.
“Analysts and shareholders will be looking for further positive momentum from this festive trading update” as a result, they added.
Focus will be on whether Next can meet heightened expectations given unseasonably cold autumn months may have pulled forward fourth quarter sales, AJ Bell added.
Attention is also set to be on any forward guidance, with the market anticipating a further 5% increase in pre-tax profit to £1.051 billion over the course of 2026.