Mens' clothing retailer JoS A. Bank Clothiers (NASDAQ: JOSB) announced its fiscal-year profit this morning -- logging rather impressive earnings of $3.17 per share. A year ago, JOSB reported earnings of $2.72 per share. This year's results were also 10 cents better than what the Street expected. Yearly net sales increased to $695.9 million, up from $604 million a year ago.

Many may find it difficult to believe that a clothing retailer could have a better year this year than last, what's the deal? One reason could be that JOSB delivers quite a bit of value for the dollar. For those not familiar with the company, men can purchase a complete "work-appropriate" outfit for less than $400 (from the suit jacket to the socks).

Yesterday, payroll specialist Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) reported that its third-quarter profit dropped 8%. The company saw investment losses offset gains in other areas, resulting in earnings of 36 cents per share.

A year earlier, PAYX raked in 39 cents per share. Quarterly revenue checked in at $528.6 million, 1% lower than a year ago. Analysts expected earnings of 36 cents, but revenue was forecast to total $536.9 million.

Discount retailer Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) surprised the Street this morning with a stronger-than-expected third-quarter profit. The cut-rate retailer raked in earnings of $43.1 million, or 47 cents per share, an improvement of 23.7% over the same period last year. Analysts were expecting a more modest per-share profit of 44 cents. Revenue for the quarter rose by roughly 12% to $1.11 billion, with same-store sales increasing 6.2%.

As long as consumers maintain a death grip on their discretionary spending, Dollar Tree seems poised to benefit. Shoppers appear to be migrating away from mid-market retailers and toward discount chains, such as DLTR and Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO). President and CEO Bob Sasser stated, "We will continue to focus on the customer, and serving their needs in a very difficult economic environment."

Going forward, Dollar Tree expects that its focus on the ailing consumer will support solid earnings growth. The company once again raised its fiscal-year earnings forecast; it now expects an annual profit of $2.45 to $2.53 per share.

CME Group (NYSE: CME) is recently trading at $479, below its close of to $523.50 Monday.

CME reported Q1 EPS $4.67 ex-items versus consensus of $4.81.

Bank of America says: "Core EPS miss likely to pressure stock, Long-term growth story still intact."

CME May option implied volatility of 53 is above its 26-week average of 35 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.

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

Electronics retailer RadioShack Corporation (NYSE: RSH) is on the rebound. The company posted net income of $46.3 million for 3rd Quarter 2007, as opposed to a net loss of $16.3 million in 3Q 2006. Cash generation is up, prepaid wireless system sales are up, GPS system sales are up, gross profit is up, and cash balances are up. On the flip side, better inventory management and a more profitable product mix combined with serious cost control efforts to reduce SG&A expenses by 13%, contributed to the rebound.

Radio Shack managed to post these good numbers despite the fact that total sales fell 9.4% due to large declines in Sprint post-paid wireless systems. CEO Julian Day insists that Radio Shack will continue to focus on both growth and profitability despite continuing problems in post-paid wireless sales. The company is trying to help its bottom line by continuing to repurchase shares, $162 million worth in 3Q 2007 alone, out of $209 million YTD.

Perhaps electronics will be a hot holiday seller this winter, giving Radio Shack a much needed boost. The stock currently trades at $18.21 and will pay a dividend of 25 cents per share.

Kraft Foods Inc.

The latest quarter did include various charges of 6 cents per share, some of which was related to asset impairments. Excluding these items, the maker of Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, and Post would have banked 44 cents per share, topping the Street's estimates by two pennies.

Raising price targets on a stock that is already at an all-time high can be a dangerous game. After earnings yesterday, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) shares did not move up much after hours. Traders are worried that the company is hiring people too fast and that a recession could hurt even the great search company.

But intrepid analysts will not be dissuaded from thinking Google will do even better.

According to a survey by Barron's, several large firms raised price targets. Bernstein has pushed its price target from $625 to $720. Credit Suisse has moved its from $600 to $800. And Goldman Sachs has upped its ante from $620 to $900. Google now trades at about $640.

It would seem unlikely that any news, even the launch of a Google Phone, will push shares much higher if the Q3 earnings do not. But analysts do not want to be left out in the cold if the shares take off again. GOOG is already up 35% in the last month.

The risk is that big Wall Street firms are raising targets and chasing a future that is not there. Google is up against the same cost pressures and recession risks that may trouble many other companies.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. (NYSE: RS) posted record net income for 1Q 2007, almost $112 million, a 55% increase compared to 1Q 2006. Record net income was made possible by record sales for the quarter, $1.84 billion, an 86% increase. No, that's not a typo. Diluted EPS for 1Q 2007 were $1.46, despite a 2-for-1 stock split in July 2006. CEO David Hannah is very pleased to state the obvious: demand for steel and aluminum products remains steady at a high (and profitable) level.

Reliance Steel & Aluminum has grown not just by increased demand, but also through the acquisition of Encore Group of metals in both the U.S. and Canada, Crest Steel Corporation of California, and Industrial Metals and Surplus, and its subsidiary, in Georgia. The company spent $750 million in acquisitions for the quarter and may not be done yet.

Reliance improved its cash flow to $71 million for the quarter, a 72% increase, and reconfigured $600 million in debt. Given its strong earnings lately, the company increased its dividend 33% to $0.08 per share. 2Q 2007 marks the company's 47th consecutive quarter of dividend payouts. FY sales and earnings should continue at current levels. CEO Hannah forecasts that the company's major customers in the aerospace, rail car, and shipbuilding industries, and semiconductor and rail car manufacturing, will continue to grow at moderate rates. Therefore, demand for Reliance's steel and aluminum will continue to be high. FY diluted EPS should be in the $1.45-$1.55 range. The stock closed recently at $61.83, up $1.45 on earnings news.

The dot-com bust may finally be over. Tech company Compuware Corporation (NASDAQ: CPWR) posted 4Q 2007 earnings and FY 2007 earnings, both of which were good. 4Q 2007 revenues totaled $313 million, with net income of $67.5 million. Diluted EPS was $0.21. Revenues break down into just over $73 million for software license fees, $118 million for maintenance fees, and $122 million for service fees.

Compuware has been busy these past several quarters. In 4Q it completed the acquisition of Proxima Technology, and also launched a bundle of software testing services called Compuware Test Factory. It will partner with IT service company Atos Origin to provide outsourced software testing services worldwide. Domestically, Compuware partnered with health care management giant CIGNA (NYSE: CI) to provide the structure for health care information exchange between medical providers and insurance companies. Compuware also introduced applications designed to provide additional security for mainframe data storage. It also expanded the availability of Compuware Unifaec 9.1, designed to work across Web, Windows, Unix, or mainframe platforms.

These initiatives contributed to Compuware's good FY 2007 numbers, the first full-year revenue growth since 2000. FY revenues were $1.2 billion with net income of $158 million, an increase of 10%. FY diluted EPS is $0.45, a 21% increase. FY revenue breakdown is $283.4 million for software license fees, $457.6 million for maintenance fees, and service fees of $472 million. Already more than 90% of Fortune 100 companies use Compuware to increase efficiency, control costs, and improve productivity. The stock recently closed at $11.20, down $0.02.