Starbucks' profit for the first quarter missed analysts' estimates and fell sharply from the same period last year, the company just reported. Company made 19 cents a share. Wall Street had expected 21 cents, on average. Profit fell 28 percent. The company blamed the recession.
Be careful when they say "transitional year." They've been saying that about the Orioles since 1999 or so. This may be worse than just a cyclical bump for the coffee chain. It said it had a "mid-single digit decline" (percentage) in sales at stores open at least a year. That should be disturbing for shareholders. The company's phenomenal growth story appears to be transitioning into something else.