Inventory at the end of Q2 was higher at $854 million versus $810 million last year due to the timing of receipts of early fall and seasonal-related merchandise into distribution centers.
For the third quarter of 2018, Big Lots expects to achieve an income of $0.04 per diluted share to a loss of $0.06 per share. Comparable store sales are expected to increase 2% to 4%. For the fourth quarter, the company expects diluted EPS to be $2.90 to $3.00 and comp sales to grow in the low single digit range.
For the full year of 2018, Big Lots expects adjusted diluted EPS to come in the range of $4.40 to $4.55 and comparable store sales to grow around 1%. Cash flow is supposed to be $100 million to $110 million.
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