Best Buy, Inc. (NYSE: BBY) shares were downgraded by Goldman Sachs from Buy to Neutral this week. Analyst Matthew Fassler indicated that Best Buy would continue to see increased pressure from online retailers, as well as mass discounters like Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), which continues to upgrade its consumer electronics assortment and brand selection.On the Wal-Mart front, the largest retailer in the world still is vastly inferior to Best Buy in terms of brand selection, assortment and even pricing -- so Fassler may be calling this a little too early. In the flat-panel television and PC categories, for example, Best Buy continually outshines Wal-Mart in just about every way from this writer's chair. Perhaps Wal-Mart will get better. Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), on the other hand, is nowhere close to either Best Buy or Wal-Mart.
Consumers continue to purchase more and more online every year, so this competition may intensify. But Best Buy already has a sizable internet presence. While slower in-store traffic could hurt the retailer's music CDs and DVD sales -- and video games -- it is already addressing this problem with some initiatives.
One area that has placed Best Buy on top of the consumer electronics world is its ability to be proactive, so from here the stock detriment seems to be overblown. Sales in the year 2011 may tell another story, but it's a safe investment for the next 18 months if you're not looking long-term.
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