Best Buy (BBY), an electronics chain whose competitors include Target (TGT) and Wal-Mart (WMT), saw a bid yesterday after it released results for the fiscal fourth quarter. Indeed, the numbers displayed a lot of improvement, making the buying interest, as well as the incredible conviction indicated by the quantity of shares traded, more than understandable.

Net sales increased 12%, and earnings per diluted share, on an adjusted basis, rose 13% to $1.82. The estimate at Earnings.com was for $1.79 per diluted share. Same-store sales jumped 7%; in the comparable year-ago period, they had dropped nearly 5%.

Continue reading Best Buy Shows Big Improvement in Q4

Best Buy Shows Big Improvement in Q4 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sears Holdings Coproation (SHLD) is a fascinating stock. It's done very well over the last year. Yet, who out there can claim that they'd be willing to buy the story without any trepidation whatsoever? Well, there are obviously many who would make such a claim, I suppose. I know I'm not one of them.

Our summary of retail quarterly reports tells us that Sears Holdings, which competes with Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY), Target Corporation (TGT), and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT), delivered an earnings-beating performance. Adjusted profit of $3.69 per share in Q4 represented a solid increase over the $2.94 per share booked in the comparable period.

Continue reading Sears Holdings: Time to Be Bullish or Not?

Sears Holdings: Time to Be Bullish or Not? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

RadioShack (RSH), an electronics chain in competition with Best Buy (BBY) and Wal-Mart (WMT), posted fourth-quarter results on Monday after the bell. Sales increased well over 4%. Same-store sales at company-operated locations and kiosks in the United States expanded by over 6%. The bottom line jumped 25% to 60 cents per share.

RadioShack had a relatively strong quarter. Gross margin improved, as did the cash and cash equivalents line on the balance sheet (long-term debt went down, too). Cash from operations for the full year did contract by 10%; it would have been nice to see an increase in cash flow to go along with the rest of the data set, but at least the bottom line was ahead of estimates (if only by a penny).

Continue reading RadioShack Earnings Surge, but Investors Not Impressed

RadioShack Earnings Surge, but Investors Not Impressed originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Target Corporation (TGT), a retailer that competes with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) and Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY), had some good news today for its shareholders. Management has decided to reinstate its stock buyback program. According to the press release, the company believes the economic environment has improved to the point where reducing some of its float could be a worthwhile investment.

This buyback is a continuation of a $10 billion program begun back in November 2007. About half of that sum has already been spent; the remainder of the allocation is expected to be used up in two to three years. So, this isn't an aggressive move, certainly. And, as always, evolving market conditions can affect the intended schedule.

Continue reading Target Thinks Its Stock Is a Good Investment -- Should You?

Target Thinks Its Stock Is a Good Investment -- Should You? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Best Buy Falls on December Margin Worries

Best Buy Falls on December Margin Worries originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Best Buy Outpaces Rivals in Electronics Sales

Best Buy Outpaces Rivals in Electronics Sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Best Buy cut by analysts following earnings report

Best Buy cut by analysts following earnings report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For the third quarter, Best Buy increased sales by 5% and adjusted diluted earnings per share by over 50% to 53 cents. Same-store sales jumped 1.7%. Now, a 1.7% expansion of comps isn't something to write home about necessarily. However, last year at this time, Best Buy saw a decline of 5.3% in the metric, so let's understand the perspective. According to our earnings preview, the market would have been satisfied if income had fallen somewhere close to 43 cents per share.

Continue reading Best Buy may not be a good buy after Q3 report

Best Buy may not be a good buy after Q3 report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There has been a rumor floating around that Amazon (AMZN) plans to open physical stores. Really?! Stores?!

Amazon is a known quality in the online retail space -- it's the industry leader. That's a great place to be right now. On Black Friday, overall retail sales edged higher only 0.5%, but online action spiked 35%. Let's do the math, why the hell would anyone move from zeroes and ones to bricks and mortars?

Continue reading Why would Amazon open physical stores?

Why would Amazon open physical stores? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Wal-Mart on Best Buy's toes

Wal-Mart on Best Buy's toes originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well, the trade has gone horribly wrong this bleak Monday session. In case you didn't hear the news, the video-game chain sold off in a big way. As I write this, shares are off by a buck, and are priced at $24.32. The low on the day is $23.75. Volume, while not in panic-mode, is above average, and I expect it to possibly accelerate toward the end of the day.

Continue reading Trade update: GameStop down today -- sell out?

Trade update: GameStop down today -- sell out? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Imagine taking the personal connections and interactions that occur every day on the likes of Facebook and Twitter... and bringing them to bear on an education. To a large extent, this hasn't been done yet, but the potential is profound. In a new report by the Center for Community Survey for Student Engagement, two-year programs aren't taking advantage of the tools at their disposal -- plenty of growth is still possible. Kay McClenney, director of the CCSSE, says, "Colleges are not taking advantage of that particular set of tools for making connections with students to the extent that they could."

Continue reading Community colleges missing the social media boat

Community colleges missing the social media boat originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) may be the world's largest electronics retailer, but it realizes that it faces a huge threat to a hefty chunk of its business. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is moving plenty of movies and other soon-to-be former DVD fare through iTunes, staking a claim on a business that once belonged to Best Buy. The big box store is getting ready to fight back (finally?).

Using technology it's licensing from Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC), Best Buy is opening an online store for movies and television shows. Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn says this move will expand the company's presence in services and will bolster company loyalty. That's the press release version, of course. The reality is that Best Buy needed to do something to protect this portion of its revenue and probably should have made the move several years ago.

Continue reading Best Buy follows Amazon into the clouds

Best Buy follows Amazon into the clouds originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Wal-Mart shares are dead money -- so where is it headed?

Wal-Mart shares are dead money -- so where is it headed? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), simply put, had a quarter to die for, the kind that all shareholders have on their wish lists. The Q3 numbers, which were released on Thursday after the bell, speak for themselves. Net sales: up 28%. Operating income: up 62%. Per-share profit: up 67% to 45 cents. Free cash flow for the trailing twelve months: up 98%. Yep, Amazon's fundamentals seem to be heading in the right direction.

According to our earnings preview, Wall Street was on record as wanting to see 33 cents per share on the bottom line. Amazon's management did a fine job of supplying further evidence to the market that the company's online business model is not only here to stay, but that it should provide shareholders with a significant amount of value over time.

Continue reading Amazon's third quarter is just what shareholders wanted

Amazon's third quarter is just what shareholders wanted originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Best Buy to launch e-reader and gadget section for holiday season

Best Buy to launch e-reader and gadget section for holiday season originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Best Buy will back up your mobile smartphone with mIQ service

Best Buy will back up your mobile smartphone with mIQ service originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Best Buy CFO hints of video game industry involvement

Best Buy CFO hints of video game industry involvement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) reported Q2 earnings on Tuesday. The retailer didn't do too badly on the top line, but the bottom line could have been better. Revenues were higher by 12%, and net income decreased 23% to 37 cents per share.

There are a couple things to consider here in terms of context. Best Buy's Europe locations helped to drive the revenue performance. Best Buy Europe also was partially responsible for the expansion seen in selling, general and administrative costs (without that segment and other acquisitions, SG&A would have been down).

Continue reading Best Buy's net income, comps see dismal drop in Q2

Best Buy's net income, comps see dismal drop in Q2 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Retail sales rally on more than just autos

Retail sales rally on more than just autos originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.