Shares of Mister Car Wash took a hit as the company’s comparable sales growth fell short in the fourth quarter and a portion of its 2024 forecast was misstated.
Stock Impact
The stock plummeted by 11% to $7.76 during midday trading as these revelations came to light. Despite the drop, shares are still up significantly, showing an increase of over 60% since November.
Sales Growth Concerns
Mister Car Wash reported that its comparable-store sales only increased by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, below the anticipated 1.6% growth projected by analysts. Revenue saw an upturn of 7.4% to $230.1 million, slightly missing the expected $230.4 million.
Revised Forecast
For the year 2024, the company expects comparable-store sales to grow by 0.5% to 2.5%, a range that differs from the analysts’ expected rise of 1.9%. Initially, Mister Car Wash mistakenly stated a forecast with a possible drop of 0.5% in comparable-store sales growth, which was later corrected.
Earnings Outlook
Looking ahead, Mister Car Wash forecasts a full-year revenue ranging from $988 million to $1.016 billion, while analysts predict a revenue of $1.004 billion for 2024. The company expects adjusted per-share earnings to fall between 30 cents and 34 cents, slightly below the analysts’ expected profit of 33 cents a share.
Q4 Financials
In the quarter ending on Dec. 31, Mister Car Wash reported a profit of $12.4 million, or 4 cents per share, compared to $17.8 million, or 5 cents per share, from the previous year. Analysts had anticipated per-share earnings of 6 cents according to FactSet.