Borders Group, one of the two main brick-and-mortar bookstore competitors to online-only retailer Amazon (AMZN), recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The development could present new opportunities for Amazon, which has already benefited from the growing digitization of literary content. Borders has indicated that it will close 200 stores, representing about 30% of its 642 stores in operation. The stores are expected to close by April 2011.

Continue reading Amazon, Apple and Google Benefit from Borders Bankruptcy

Amazon, Apple and Google Benefit from Borders Bankruptcy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rumors have been circulating for almost a month about Borders' (BGP) possible bankruptcy filing. People familiar with the situation told The Wall Street Journal that the filing could come as early as the middle of this month.

Borders has been trying to hold off the filing by delaying payments to vendors. But this is only temporary. Now the matter has reached a critical stage. The company has obtained about $500 million to $550 million in debtor in possession financing that would keep the company operating after a court filing.

Continue reading Borders Nears Possible Bankruptcy Filing

Borders Nears Possible Bankruptcy Filing originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Reports surfaced Thursday that Borders (BGP) started negotiating with banks for financing to help keep the bookstore chain liquid during bankruptcy proceedings. Later in the evening, GE Capital made a $550 million financing commitment to the embattled company.

This financing should allow Borders the financial flexibility and level of liquidity to advance its restructuring plan. The plan includes closing stores, cutting costs, expanding its rewards program, and increasing non-book offerings -- all with the goal of improving cash flow and profits. Borders did note that it will explore alternative possibilities, such as restructuring its debt under court supervision.

Continue reading GE Capital Commits $550 Million to Borders

GE Capital Commits $550 Million to Borders originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Borders Group (BGP) has been reporting losses for years. Its third quarter results showed a sharper loss and is fueling concerns about the bookstore's future, as reported by USAToday.

The company is on the defensive. It has sold off 16 stores and other assets to meet debt payments. Now creditors have cut their credit lines, forcing the bookseller to cut back further. The reason given is that Borders' inventory value has fallen.

Continue reading Borders Delays Payments to Vendors

Borders Delays Payments to Vendors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The last trading day of 2010 seems to indicate that traders are committed to maintaining the solid gains of the past year. Volume was light with fewer than 1 billion shares traded by early afternoon. Oil prices pushed back to over $91/barrel, and gold has also risen more than 1%, to around $1,420/ounce. The dollar gained a bit of strength to the euro, but continues its slide against the Japanese yen.

Here are the numbers for late afternoon trading today:

Dow Jones 11,577.51 +7.80 (0.07%)
S&P 500 1,257.64 -0.24 (-0.02%)
Nasdaq 2,652.87 -10.11 (-0.38%)

Continue reading Closing Bell: Ringing Out the Old Year, Looking Forward to the New (BGP, ZBB, UAM, AFOP, IMAX)

Closing Bell: Ringing Out the Old Year, Looking Forward to the New (BGP, ZBB, UAM, AFOP, IMAX) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Investors nervous about the possibly stalled economic recovery -- or worse, the beginning of the latter phase of a double-dip recession -- were not pleased with last week's housing numbers. Things were perhaps ameliorated somewhat by durable goods order numbers and a revised GDP that weren't as bad as expected, but that didn't stop the Dow from dipping below 10,000 later in the week, before fighting its way back above the benchmark to end the week, thanks largely to Fed chair Bernanke's comments on Friday.

Though the end of August is usually quiet, this week lots more economic data are due out, including more housing numbers: The Case-Shiller Home Price Index for June on Tuesday, construction spending numbers for July on Wednesday, and NAR's pending home sales for July on Thursday. There's not expected to be much to get excited about in these numbers.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: Employment, Housing, Manufacturing, Earnings Expectations

The Week in Preview: Employment, Housing, Manufacturing, Earnings Expectations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Below are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks. Click through to the original posts for more details.

• Ann Taylor Stores Corp. (ANN) shares rallied on heavy volume after it posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings.
• AutoZone Inc. (AZO) Q3 earnings easily beat consensus expectations and same-store sales rose sharply.
• Borders Group Inc. (BGP) posted a wider operating loss, decreasing gross margin, and a same-store sales decline.
• Campbell Soup Co. (CPB) posted strong Q3 results and offered guidance, boosting shares on a down-market day.
• Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) posted better-than-expected Q3 results, due in part to a surge in membership sales.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: AutoZone, Borders, Campbell, Costco, Heinz, J. Crew, TiVo ...

Earnings Highlights: AutoZone, Borders, Campbell, Costco, Heinz, J. Crew, TiVo ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 29 May 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Acuity Brands Inc. (AYI) Q2 results were essentially flat but an analyst's upgraded helped boost shares.
• Borders Group Inc. (BGP) reported strong Q4 earnings due to cost cutting but revenue continued to decline.
• Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (CALM) received an analyst's downgrade on valuation following release of its Q3 report.
• CarMax Inc. (KMX) rose to a new 52-week high following better-than-expected Q4 earnings and sales results.
• Charming Shoppes Inc. (CHRS) posted a smaller-than-expected Q4 net loss and said same-store sales declined.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Borders, CarMax, LDK Solar, Mosaic, RIM, Rite Aid ...

Earnings Highlights: Borders, CarMax, LDK Solar, Mosaic, RIM, Rite Aid ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Borders Tells the Right Story

Borders Tells the Right Story originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Borders gets an e-book play with an investment in Kobo

Borders gets an e-book play with an investment in Kobo originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:30:00 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.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), a bookseller that competes with Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), and Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP), issued a Q2 earnings report on Thursday morning that in no way makes me want to invest in the company. As far as I'm concerned, the retailer has a lot of work to do, and I wouldn't want to involve my portfolio with a business that is still trying to find its way.

Barnes & Noble earned 14 cents per share on an adjusted basis. Earnings.com reports an expectation of 10 cents per share. So management went beyond projections. Should shareholders be content with such news and call it a day?

Continue reading Barnes & Noble struggles with comps in the second quarter

Barnes & Noble struggles with comps in the second quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Twilight and Harry Potter sales notwithstanding, there's a growing reality in our fair nation -- people just don't read like they used to. And with the slowdown in reading comes a definite decline in book sales.

The Book Industry Study Group reported that publishers sold fewer books in 2008, down 1.5% from 2007 to 3.08 billion. Of course, all was not lost -- total revenue edged 1% higher thanks to increased prices.

Continue reading Borders, Barnes & Noble need you to kill your television

Borders, Barnes & Noble need you to kill your television originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• American Electric Power Co. Inc. (NYSE: AEP) lowered its earnings forecast for fiscal 2009.
• Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings and strong revenue growth.
• Borders Group Inc. (NYSE: BGP) reported better-than-expected Q4 earnings despite a decline in sales.
• CarMax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) soaring earnings beat Q4 expectations despite a decline in revenue.
• Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) was downgraded on risk to its earnings from currency issues.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Research in Motion, Monsanto, Apollo Group, Borders and more

Earnings highlights: Research in Motion, Monsanto, Apollo Group, Borders and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Borders stays afloat with loan extension

Borders stays afloat with loan extension originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Will Borders Stop Selling CDs and DVDs?

Will Borders Stop Selling CDs and DVDs? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Borders lays off more workers

Borders lays off more workers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Borders lays off 10% of its corporate workers

Borders lays off 10% of its corporate workers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Borders gets a new board member originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ronald W. Burkle, the grocery magnate with a net worth estimated at more than $3 billion, has acquired an 8.3% stake in Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) through his Yucaipa American Funds, LLC investment vehicle.

The 13-D contained nothing especially interesting -- just the usual boilerplate: The shares were acquired for investment purposes, but also reserved the right to talk to other investors or management about ways to maximize value. The 13-D added that the shares were acquired because the investors believed they "were undervalued by the market at the time they were acquired."

The Wall Street Journal notes (subscription required) that while the company has seen its performance battered by economic woes, it has a strong balance sheet and competent management. If Borders Group (NYSE: BGP) collapses, Barnes & Noble could be the most direct beneficiary. The deathwatch is one, with shares of Borders trading around 50 cents per pop.

Given the high regard that the company's management is held in, this investment seems unlikely to turn into a true activist situation: So while Burkle's investment is a strong vote of confidence from a highly respected mogul, it's not likely to be much of a catalyst for anything.

Barnes & Noble gets a 13-D from Ronald Burkle originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.