Would you buy a used Apple (AAPL) iPad? It seems that the market for used electronics is booming. Much of it is resold to developing countries. But even here in the U.S. consumers are dumping their old iPads and buying the new iPad2, the Financial Times reports.

That sets up a huge secondary market. The big beneficiaries are eBay (EBAY) and the Apple Store. On eBay, for example, sales jumped from 3,300 to 7,700 in a week with prices dropping from $531 to $484 in just one week. If buyers had done some research they could have bought the same unit from the Apple Store for $399, according to the FT.

Continue reading Would You Buy a Used iPad?

Would You Buy a Used iPad? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Best Buy (BBY) is a specialty electronics retailer that competes with general retailers like Wal-Mart (WMT) and Costco (COST), as well as other specialty retailers like GameStop and Radio Shack (RSH). Our price estimate for Best Buy stands at $38.48, which is about 20% above market price.

The company's stock has struggled to gain ground since Best Buy's earnings release in December 2010. Best Buy has faced limited demand for featured products like 3D TVs, and appears to have underestimated competition from players like Wal-Mart and Amazon.com (AMZN).

Continue reading Best Buy Looking to Lift Profitability

Best Buy Looking to Lift Profitability originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Best Buy: How Is the Stock Doing?

Best Buy: How Is the Stock Doing? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading RadioShack Takes a Hit After Earnings Report

RadioShack Takes a Hit After Earnings Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Discount retailer Target Corporation (TGT) announced today that starting October 3 its stores will start to carry all six models of the popular new Apple, Inc. (AAPL) iPad.

While this is not the first time that Apple has teamed up with outside retailers, Target is the largest retailer to date that has agreed to sell the iPad.

You can already buy iPad in some Best Buy stores, and the company has announced that starting this Sunday it will be selling the device at all of its U.S. stores. In addition to facing competition from Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY), Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) is also rumored to begin selling iPads in stores soon.

Continue reading Target to Begin Selling iPads

Target to Begin Selling iPads originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Jabil Circuit Is Up On Q3 News

Jabil Circuit Is Up On Q3 News originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Best Buy Redesign to Attract More Female Customers

Best Buy Redesign to Attract More Female Customers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Early Tuesday morning, Best Buy (BBY) announced that its first-quarter profit increased to $155 million from $153 million a year ago. While the overall profit was slightly higher, the per-share results of 36 cents matched those from a year ago. These results fell 14 cents short of the consensus estimate.

The electronics retailer also maintained its full-year earnings of $3.45 to $3.60 per share, which surrounds the $3.50 per share expected by the Street.

Continue reading Best Buy's Q1 Profit Misses Expectations

Best Buy's Q1 Profit Misses Expectations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Best Buy (BBY) will be reporting results for the first quarter tomorrow. Is there an earnings trade here?

Not from where I sit. Nevertheless, I expect decent results. The chain has been consistent in terms of going beyond expectations in recent times. And according to Pallavi Gogoi, Apple's (AAPL) iPad device, as well as a willingness on the part of consumers to continue opening their collective wallet for various electronic items, may bring solid news for shareholders. A profit of 50 cents per share is forecast, and I'd say there is a fair chance we will be reading about a beat on the bottom line.

Continue reading Best Buy to Report Q1 Earnings: How Does the Stock Look?

Best Buy to Report Q1 Earnings: How Does the Stock Look? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jabil Circuit (JBL), a tech entity that provides solutions to companies in the electronics industry, experienced some heavy selling after the market read through the second-quarter release. In fact, at the time of this writing, my screen was showing the shares down by almost 10%. And, as you can imagine, volume was compelling.

Things didn't seem too bad. Income on a core basis came in at 29 cents per diluted share. Last year at this time, the business took in 13 cents per diluted share on the same basis. According to Reuters, that 29-cent figure beat estimates by a penny. Plus, the guidance for the third quarter looks relatively good, at least to me, compared to what the analysts were thinking.

Continue reading Jabil Circuit Down Big Following Q2 Numbers

Jabil Circuit Down Big Following Q2 Numbers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:20:00 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.

The 2009 equity market recovery has led to an increase in Q ratios for the world's largest retailers. What does this mean? They're using their tangible assets effectively and have demonstrated the strength of intangible factors, such as brand and operational efficiency, to create shareholder value.

"Q" is the ratio of a public company's market capitalization to the market value of its tangible assets. So, a Q ratio of above one means that investors value the company's non-tangible assets -- e.g., brand, differentiation, innovation, customer experience and customer loyalty -- and see these factors as reasons to pay a higher price per share. A company with a Q ratio of below one can't generate a sufficient return on its physical assets. According to Deloitte, this could create an arbitrage opportunity, as it may be ripe for an acquisition.

Continue reading Emerging Markets and Electronics Retailers Sport Best Intangible Values

Emerging Markets and Electronics Retailers Sport Best Intangible Values originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The first estimates for the holiday shopping season have come in. MasterCard (MA) Advisors unit SpendingPulse, which tracks retail spending, puts the result at a year-over-year increase of 3.6%. This includes all form of payment and does not factor in gas and auto sales. The increase comes relative to the 2008 holiday season, which was the worst season in decades for retailers thanks to the global financial crisis.

Says Kamalesh Rao, director of economic research at SpendingPulse, "Last year the economy and consumer spending were in free fall. This year we're talking about an environment that has stabilized, that has seen a leveling off." But, that doesn't mean it's turned the corner yet. Holiday spending isn't enough to cure what ails us.

Continue reading Early Estimates for Retail Sales Favor Online

Early Estimates for Retail Sales Favor Online originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Short City Update: Radio Shack - cover short

Short City Update: Radio Shack - cover short originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Consider Danaher, because it's a bar code world

Consider Danaher, because it's a bar code world originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Philips: Back up the truck

Philips: Back up the truck originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jabil Circuit (NYSE: JBL), a provider of solutions to the electronics industry, as well as a business that counts Flextronics (NASDAQ: FLEX) as a colleague, has been in an uptrend. If you check out a year-to-date chart for the company's stock, you'll understand what I mean. And frankly, I admit that I've been too bearish on this situation. When I pontificated on Jabil's Q3 results, I didn't think the company was a strong idea. Well, it's gone up since then.

So, what should we make of the Q4 results, which were reported Tuesday after the bell? Again, we see big declines. Net sales dropped 15%, and earnings per diluted share on an adjusted basis plunged to 16 cents from the 30 cents seen in the year-ago period.

Continue reading Jabil Circuit beats by wide margin in Q4

Jabil Circuit beats by wide margin in Q4 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:00:00 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.

Electronics retailer RadioShack Corporation (NYSE: RSH) sold off on Monday. The market wasn't impressed by the earnings beat that management delivered. According to Reuters, the 39 cents per share that RadioShack booked for the second quarter went 10 cents beyond analyst expectations.

That sounds pretty good on the surface. And, to be honest, I bet shares of RadioShack would have rallied had conditions been different. The major indexes have seen a lot of bullish action as we all know, and I think a fair amount of stocks now might run the risk of selling off on a decent bottom-line report just because of worries in the system. When you think about it, this rally has to end some time. And if you take a look at RadioShack's stock performance since early March, you have to wonder how much more buying interest is left at this point.

Continue reading RadioShack tops estimates, but market not impressed

RadioShack tops estimates, but market not impressed originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I was wrong about Jabil Circuit (NYSE JBL). When I wrote about the tech company's last earnings report, I said I wasn't a buyer. I should have been. The stock rose quite a bit after I presented my thoughts to the world. In fact, the stock closed up well over 7% on Tuesday, settling out to a price of $7.12 per share. Volume was extremely active.

Obviously, investors were setting themselves up ahead of the Q3 release. Jabil earned, on an adjusted basis, 4 cents per share. According to Reuters, the market was only counting on 2 cents per share.

Continue reading Jabil Circuit's Q3 report doesn't make stock a compelling buy

Jabil Circuit's Q3 report doesn't make stock a compelling buy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.