Bedmakers like Sleep Number beneficiaries of China trade dispute

Bedmakers are among the beneficiaries of the trade dispute with China, evidenced in both Sleep Number and Tempur-Sealy reporting stronger-than-expected results for the second quarter Thursday.

Sleep Number Corp. reported strong second-quarter results after the market closed Thursday.

The Minneapolis-based maker and seller of smart beds and other sleep products reported earnings of $4.3 million, or 14 cents per share, compared with $3.7 million, or 10 cents per share, in the fourth quarter last year.

The EPS was better than the 3 cents per share analysts were expecting and a 40% increase over the same quarter last year.

Sleep Number shares jumped more than $5 per share, or 13%, in after-hours trading, after finishing the day at $41.77, up 6 cents per share. In after-hours trading, shares were as high as $47.51 per share.

Sleep Number also reported record second-quarter sales of $356 million, up 13% from the same period last year, on the strength of its new mattress lineup of smart beds that respond to a user's movements throughout the night. The second quarter is its seasonally slowest quarter.

"Consumer response to Sleep Number's 360 smart beds has driven double-digit demand growth for four consecutive quarters, including performance at the high end of our expectations in the second quarter," said Shelly Ibach, Sleep Number's president and CEO, in a statement. "The power of our purpose-driven brand and operational excellence are delivering strong results across our business."

Lexington, Ky.-based Tempur-Sealy reported on Thursday second-quarter growth and raised its outlook for the remainder of this year.

Bedmakers are seeing some positive effects from the trade dispute with China.

"TPX (Tempur-Sealy) benefits from China anti-dumping restrictions on low-end bedding exports to the U.S. that are priced below cost," wrote CFRA analyst Kenneth Leon after reviewing Tempur-Sealy's second-quarter results.

"We've had four consecutive quarters of double-digit demand growth with our 360 smart beds and, in the second quarter, we performed at the high end of our expectations," Ibach said in response to a question about anti-dumping restrictions. "Any time competitors are operating rationally and with integrity, it is a more positive marketplace for the consumer."

Sleep Number also raised the lower end of its earnings range for the remainder of 2019. The company now expects diluted EPS for the year to be in the range of $2.35 to $2.75 per share; its previous range was $2.25 to $2.75 per share.