Academy Sports and Outdoors' (ASO) fiscal fourth-quarter results fell year over year, while the sporting goods retailer guided for 2025 earnings below market views.

Adjusted per-share earnings fell to $1.96 for the quarter ended Feb. 1 from $2.21 a year earlier, above the consensus on FactSet for $1.83. Net Sales were in line with expectations at $1.68 billion, but down 6.6% year over year.

Comparable sales dropped 3%, compared with a 4.3% decline modeled by analysts.

"Looking back on 2024, our team made significant strides toward achieving our long-term goals, all while thoughtfully navigating a challenging macroeconomic environment," Chief Executive Steve Lawrence said in a statement.

The company anticipates fiscal 2025 adjusted EPS of $5.75 to $6.20, with analysts looking for $6.48. Adjusted EPS for the previous year slid 14% to $6.02.

Full-year net sales are expected to be in the range of $6.09 billion to $6.27 billion, with comparable sales seen between down 2% and up 1%. The consensus is for $6.24 billion in revenue and comparable sales growth of 0.5%. Fiscal 2024 net sales fell 3.7% to $5.93 billion, while comparable sales dipped 5.1%.

"We have seen sequential improvements in (comparable) sales since the second quarter and we anticipate that will continue into 2025," Chief Financial Officer Carl Ford said.

Academy Sports said that it will launch the Jordan brand in 145 stores and online beginning late in April.

The company expects the first quarter to be "the most challenging" from a sales and EPS prospective as it opens five stores and transitions to a new Jordan floor set. The back half of the year is projected to be stronger than the first.