What a difference a few months can make. Back in December, I was a bit bearish on Big Lots (BIG). That was at $29.50. Know what the stock closed at yesterday? Its final price was $41.33. And that's rather close to the 52-week high of $42.27.

To fully appreciate how dramatic the rise in the stock has been requires a look at the one-year chart. Impressive, isn't it? I guess I should have been a stronger believer in the retailer. So, what should I be thinking now?

Continue reading Big Lots Earnings: Should Investors Take Profits Now?

Big Lots Earnings: Should Investors Take Profits Now? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• U.S. Steel (X) to buy from neutral and Barnes & Noble (BKS) to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Salesforce.com (CRM) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Dollar Tree (DLTR) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Edison International (EIX) to hold from sell at Citigroup.
• Analog Devices (ADI) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADI, BKS, CMG, CRM, DANG, DLTR, FDO, LLTC, NFLX, X ...

Analyst Calls: ADI, BKS, CMG, CRM, DANG, DLTR, FDO, LLTC, NFLX, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Athenahealth (ATHN), Ensco (ESV), Pride International (PDE) and Sinclair Broadcast (SBGI) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• CIRCOR (CIR) to buy from hold at BB&T.
• Urban Outfitters (URBN) to hold from sell at Citigroup.
• Shaw Group (SHAW) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• MGM Resorts (MGM) and Boyd Gaming (BYD) to buy from neutral, as well as Intrepid Potash (IPI) to neutral from underperform, at BofA/Merrill.
• Carlisle (CSL) to buy from neutral at SunTrust.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AFL, AMZN, EBAY, ESV, FSLR, IBM, MGM, SHAW, TGT, WMT ...

Analyst Calls: AFL, AMZN, EBAY, ESV, FSLR, IBM, MGM, SHAW, TGT, WMT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Big Lots (BIG), a retailer whose colleagues include Target (TGT) and Walmart (WMT), was feeling the wrath of the sellers on Friday. The stock closed down 5% to $29.50. Volume was above the norm.

According to Briefing.com, the company made 23 cents per share in the third quarter. Unfortunately, that was one penny below the overall forecast. In addition, guidance for Q4 wasn't too striking, and same-store sales experienced only slight growth.

Continue reading Big Lots Falls After Disappointing Earnings Report

Big Lots Falls After Disappointing Earnings Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Duoyuan Global Water (DGW) to neutral from underweight, citing the potential for positive fundamental news flow through the end of the year, and upped its price target to $16 from $9.
• Jefferies upgraded Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) to buy from underperform, expecting a benefit from a significant ramp in EVDO software sales as mobile data growth accelerates.
• Myriad Genetics (MYGN) was upgraded at RBC Capital to outperform from sector perform with a $23 price target based on valuation and potential to be acquired.
• Goldman upgraded Mohawk (MHK) to neutral from sell with a $53 price target.
• Smithfield Foods (SFD) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at BMO capital with a $21 target.
• Priceline.com (PCLN) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALU, BIG, COST, DGW, DOW, FO, GE, HON, MGM, MYGN, MON ...

Analyst Calls: ALU, BIG, COST, DGW, DOW, FO, GE, HON, MGM, MYGN, MON ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading National Retail Federation Expects Moderate Holiday Sales Increase

National Retail Federation Expects Moderate Holiday Sales Increase originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Big Lots Earnings Show Growth -- What About the Stock?

Big Lots Earnings Show Growth -- What About the Stock? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Is Big Lots Really a Buy?

Is Big Lots Really a Buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Is Big Lots a Buy After Q1?

Is Big Lots a Buy After Q1? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 May 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Both Walmart (WMT) and BJ's Wholesale Club (BJ) reported strong quarterly results last week, suggesting that discount retailers are still doing well even as the economy seems to be coming around. This week, Costco (COST) and Big Lots (BIG) take their turns in the earnings spotlight, and analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect a strong showing from them as well.

And we'll round out this preview of the coming week with a look at expectations for AutoZone (AZO), Canada's big banks, and Trina Solar (TSL).

Continue reading The Week in Preview: A Look at Costco, AutoZone, Canadian Banks, and more

The Week in Preview: A Look at Costco, AutoZone, Canadian Banks, and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 May 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Big Lots (BIG) surely satisfied its investors yesterday when it reported double-digit earnings growth. On an adjusted basis, net income from continuing operations jumped over 30% to $1.31 per share during the fourth quarter. Analysts couldn't keep up, because they were looking for $1.28 per share, according to Earnings.com.

Total sales went up 7%, but same-store revenue, the more vital metric, was higher by 5.1%. Cash flow from operating activities for both the quarter and the full fiscal year experienced significant increases. Gross margin expanded over both of those periods as well.

Continue reading Big Lots Living Large in Q4

Big Lots Living Large in Q4 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The next month is the one that matters most to the retail sector. It will dominate the conversation when Q4 and full-year financials are reported. A strong Black Friday brought with it concerns that momentum will fade, but opportunity is not dispensed equally. Some retailers will come through the season better than others, and industry experts have already chosen their favorites.

Michael Dart, senior partner at Kurt Salmon Associates, says, "We are seeing a paradigm shift in the way consumer interprets value and what they are looking for." The winners will do more than pitch deep discounts to convince consumers to part with their hard-earned cash.

Continue reading Nine (and then some) retail stocks to watch this holiday season

Nine (and then some) retail stocks to watch this holiday season originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) Q2 profit fell short of estimates as same-store sales declined.
• Ann Taylor Stores Corp. (NYSE: ANN) Q2 earnings beat very low expectations and same-store sales fell.
• Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) reported better-than-expected numbers for Q2, sending shares upward.
• Burger King Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BKC) posted a better-than-expected Q4 profit though revenue declined.
• China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. posted a record Q2 profit after restrictions on fuel prices were lifted.
• Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) said its Q2 earnings declined, but they still topped analysts' expectations.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Burger King, Dell, Dollar Tree, J. Crew, Staples, Toll Bros. ...

Earnings highlights: Burger King, Dell, Dollar Tree, J. Crew, Staples, Toll Bros. ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Big Lots (NYSE: BIG - option chain) shares are rising today after the company posted a second-quarter profit of $28.4 million, or 34 cents per share, on revenue of $1.09 billion. BIG's adjusted profit of 35 cents per share topped analysts' forecasts of 30 cents per share on revenue of $1.08 billion. This amount is up from last year at the same time, when BIG posted EPS of 0.32. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on BIG.

BIG opened this morning at $25.38. So far today the stock has hit a low of $25.38 and a high of $26.70. As of 11:40, BIG is trading at $25.95, up $1.92 (8.1%). The chart for BIG looks bullish and S&P gives BIG a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Continue reading Big Lots (BIG) earnings remain strong

Big Lots (BIG) earnings remain strong originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for EPS for these banks to have fallen from 15% to 25% from a year ago. Their long-term EPS growth forecast is for between 10% and 12%, which is in the same range as U.S. rivals JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) and Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC), but better than Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) and Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C). Earnings multiples for these Canadian banks are 10x to 12x, but none of them have a First Call consensus recommendation is to buy. The Motley Fool, though, considers TD as a value stock and RY a stock poised to pop. All of them are trading much closer to their 52-week highs than lows, and shares of all are up more than 100% since March lows.

Continue reading The week in preview: Canadian banks in the earnings spotlight

The week in preview: Canadian banks in the earnings spotlight originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Big Lots sees same-store sales slip slightly

Big Lots sees same-store sales slip slightly originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, lifting shares.
• AutoZone Inc. (NYSE: AZO) posted a better-than-expected Q3 profit said it will continue to buy back shares.
• Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO) reported lower Q2 earnings and also announced 1,100 layoffs.
• Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) higher Q1 earnings topped estimates even though same-store sales fell.
• BioMed Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: BMR) earnings prospects after the recent capital raise led to a downgrade.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: AutoZone, Costco, Dell, Heinz, Staples, Tiffany, Tivo and more

Earnings highlights: AutoZone, Costco, Dell, Heinz, Staples, Tiffany, Tivo and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 30 May 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Early this morning, discount retailer Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) reported first-quarter earnings of 44 cents per share. These results are up from 42 cents a year ago, and are four cents better than the consensus estimate. BIG tallied quarterly sales of $1.14 billion, down from $1.15 billion a year ago. Comparable-store sales slipped 0.5% during the quarter.

BIG forecast second-quarter earnings of 26 to 32 cents per share. On average, analysts expected 30 cents per share. This outlook assumes that BIG's same-store sales will fall 1% to 3% during the quarter.

Continue reading Big Lots tops expectations, boosts full-year forecast

Big Lots tops expectations, boosts full-year forecast originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 May 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After the Memorial Day holiday in the United States, the earnings spotlight turns to Canadian banks: Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE: CM), Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE: RY), and Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE: TD) are all scheduled to report their second-quarter results.

While banks north of the border of generally have held up better than their U.S. counterparts, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the four listed above to report that earnings declined between 20% and 30% since the same period of last year. All four have P/E ratios around 10, and they are paying dividends. Shares of all four have surged 50% to 83% in the past three months, but are still 26% to 38% lower than a year ago.

Continue reading The week in preview: Canadian and U.S. banks, and more

The week in preview: Canadian and U.S. banks, and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 24 May 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sears Holding (NASDAQ: SHLD) is recently trading at $62.10 in pre-open trading, above its close of $50.19. SHLD secured a new $2.4 billion line of credit to help finance purchases through 2012. SHLD reported Q1 of $10.1 billion, versus $11.1 billion in the same quarter a year ago. SHLD June call option volatility is at 64, puts is are at 77 verses its 26-week average of 64, according to Track Data. SHLD puts are priced higher than calls because SHLD is difficult to borrow.

Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) closed at $24.14. BIG is scheduled to report Q1 EPS on May 28. BIG June option implied volatility is at 58; October is at 56; below its 26-week average of 72, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Options Update: Sears Holding put volatility up into $2.4 billion credit line originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 May 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.