Macy’s reports earnings increases for 2011

CINCINNATI — Brisk sales in the 2011 holiday season helped push up earnings and sales for Macy’s Inc., the retailer reported on Tuesday.

The company’s approximately 840 stores nationwide include Macy’s stores at the Dayton Mall and the Mall at Fairfield Commons.

Earnings for the fourth quarter ended on Jan. 28 were $1.74 per share on sales of $8.72 billion, up from $1.55 and $8.27 billion a year earlier. Those earnings included, in both years, expenses and pre-tax gains from nonrecurring items.

For all of 2011, earnings totaled $2.92 per share on sales of $26.4 billion, compared with $1.98 and $25 billion the prior year. The earnings figures included one-time expenses and pre-tax gains from both years.

Macy’s management is predicting earnings per share of $3.25 to $3.30 for this fiscal year, with sales increases of 3.5 percent at stores open for at least a year.

The company’s retail operations include Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores and the macys.com and bloomingdales.com web sites.

Macy’s expects that its online business will have sales of more than $2 billion this year, said Terry Lundgren, the company’s chairman, president and chief executive officer.