Brown Shoe Company Q1 net sales up 1.9 percent

For the first quarter, Brown Shoe Company reported net sales of 602.3 million dollars up 1.9 percent versus first quarter 2014 net sales of 591.2 million dollars. Net earnings of 19.3 million dollars, or 0.44 dollars per diluted share, were up 24.8 percent against 15.4 million dollars, or 0.35 dollars per diluted share. Gross margin of 41.3 percent was up approximately 30 basis points year-over-year, while operating margin of 5 percent was up approximately 10 basis points.