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Build‑A‑Bear pops on record Q2 earnings results

Build-A-Bear soared over 13% heading into Thursday’s trading after the toy maker delivered record second-quarter earnings and revenue and raised its outlook. 

Diluted earnings per share were $0.94, well beyond estimates of $0.66 from analysts polled by FactSet. Revenue jumped 11% to $124.2 million, ahead of the Street’s forecast of $116 million.

Build-A-Bear also raised its full-year guidance, with the company now expecting revenue to climb mid- to high single digits. That’s up from its previous forecast for mid-single-digit growth and puts the midpoint of management’s guidance ahead of analysts’ expectations of 5.4% growth.

The brand’s margins improved thanks largely, management said, to fewer promotions, selective price hikes, and a rise in e‑commerce demand outweighing a rise in expenses like retail employee pay and “general inflationary pressures.” The brand also opened 14 new global locations, and inventory levels climbed as a hedge against tariff risks.

Build-A-Bear shares were up 33% year to date prior to the results.

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American Eagle posts stronger-than-expected Q4 earnings and revenue

If American Eagle has seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of Sydney Sweeney.

The jeans seller posted adjusted earnings of $0.84 per share, ahead of the $0.71 expected by analysts polled by FactSet. It booked $1.76 billion in fourth-quarter revenue, versus the $1.74 billion consensus.

Shares initially climbed more than 5% after-hours before paring gains to about 2%.

“Compelling new product collections, supported by fresh marketing campaigns, led to higher demand trends in the quarter,” said CEO Jay Schottenstein.

American Eagle said it’s expecting same-store sales to grow by high single digits in the first quarter.

Marketing controversy has proved to be a powerful mover of denim for AE. In its third-quarter earnings call in December, AE said its partnership with Sydney Sweeney — together with a Travis Kelce partnership — had garnered more than 44 billion impressions. The retailer hit meme stock status last July when it initially launched its “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” campaign.

As of Wednesday’s close, American Eagle shares had climbed 120% since the Sweeney ad first landed.

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Investors are itching to buy the dip in memory stocks

The intense drubbing in South Korean stocks, with the benchmark Korean index (KOSPI) falling nearly 20% in its first two trading days of the week following a Monday holiday, represented a serious threat to the hottest AI trade: memory stocks.

South Korea’s market is dominated by two high-bandwidth memory giants: SK Hynix and Samsung.

After Tuesday’s tumble, US investors seemingly said enough is enough: it’s a buy-the-dip opportunity.

US memory stocks like Micron, Sandisk, Western Digital, and Seagate Technology Holdings are posting massive gains on the day. The advance comes amid positive commentary at a Morgan Stanley conference on demand for memory chips.

Even more interestingly, the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF is up big today despite the KOSPI falling 12% overnight, its largest drop on record. The ETF’s outperformance of the South Korean equity gauge is the largest since 2008, as the global financial crisis raged.

The daily performance of these two can differ materially since they trade at different times and don’t track precisely the same things. US investors are making the bet that a potential break in this momentum trade and the potential for an unwind of retail leverage in South Korean markets be damned, big drops in memory stocks are meant to be bought.

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