Why Burlington Stores Shares Dropped

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Burlington Stores ended down 8% after falling as much as 23% during the trading session after reporting earnings today.

So what: The off-price retailer posted a loss of $0.05, in line with estimates, while revenue grew 10% to $1.06 billion. Comparable sales in the quarter improved 3.9% in what was the company's first report as a publicly traded company. The market seemed to be disappointed by same-store sales, projected to be just 2%-3% in the fourth quarter. CEO Tom Kingsbury said the company was "focused on executing growth drivers, expanding retail store base, and enhancing our operating margins in the future."

Now what: Today's pullback seems to come largely from shares having risen 30% since its IPO despite posting a loss for the quarter, and an underwhelming holiday comp outlook. With a P/E of 44 and only modest growth prospects, Burlington may have further to fall.