Walgreen (WAG), Dollar General (DG) and Express (EXPR) all reported higher quarterly profits Tuesday morning, with Dollar General and Express both beating Wall Street consensus earnings estimates. With news like this, it may be beneficial for an investor to take a closer look at the retail sector.

Granted, Walgreen did not impress Wall Street, and shares fell more than 7%. Express and Dollar General, however, are reaping the benefits with Express trading up over 5% and Dollar General enjoying a 3% upswing. Both companies opened trading up in the markets Tuesday.

Continue reading Trade the Positive Retail News

Trade the Positive Retail News originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This week we turn the calendar page, and that change brings with it a raft of economic data. Scheduled for release on Monday are pending home sales and personal income numbers for January, as well as the Chicago PMI and car and truck sales data for February.

On Tuesday, look for the ISM Manufacturing Index for February and construction spending numbers for January. That's followed on Wednesday by the week's first employment data: the Challenger Job-Cuts announcement and the ADP employment report for February. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will deliver his semiannual monetary policy testimony before Congress on both days.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Unemployment Rate, Retail Earnings, Bernanke Testimony

Week in Preview: Unemployment Rate, Retail Earnings, Bernanke Testimony originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Barnes & Noble, the Gap, RadioShack, and Sears -- that may sound like the lineup at the local mall, but in fact they are just a few of the retailers scheduled to step into the earnings spotlight this week. Following last week's disappointing January retail sales numbers from the Commerce Department but strong fourth-quarter reports from Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) and Nordstrom (JWN), the coming week will offer plenty more data on the sector for investors to mull over.

Walmart

Bentonville-based Walmart (WMT) offered free holiday shipping, closed its Moscow office and named a chief merchandising officer during its fourth quarter. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters forecast earnings for that period to come to $1.31 per share, up from $1.17 in the same quarter of last year. The world's largest retailer also is expected to post revenues of $117.7 billion for the three months that ended in January. That's 3.5% more than a year earlier.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Walmart, Home Depot and More Retail Earnings

Week in Preview: Walmart, Home Depot and More Retail Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 20 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We're well into the quarter now and the earnings reports continue to roll out.

This week, Dell (DELL) highlights a handful of results from tech companies. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for fourth-quarter earnings of 37 cents per share from the one of the world's top PC purveyors. That's up from 28 cents per share during the same period a year ago. Dell also is expected to report its revenue grew 5.5% year over year to $15.7 billion, for the three months that ended in January.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Mid-Quarter Earnings (DELL, SJM, MAR, JWN)

Week in Preview: Mid-Quarter Earnings (DELL, SJM, MAR, JWN) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last week, Macy's (M) and JCPenney (JCP) kicked off the retail earnings season by posting better-than-expected earnings for the most recent quarter. Many more quarterly reports from retailers are due this week, and by and large expectations of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are high.

Walmart (WMT), the king of retailers, is expected to buck the trend, though. Analysts anticipate that the Bentonville-based company will report that its third-quarter earnings grew only 6.7% year-over-year to 90 cents per share. During the three months that ended in October, Walmart announced an acquisition in South Africa and kicked-off the holiday shopping season, and revenue for that period is predicted to have risen 3.0% to $102.4 billion. Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, analysts so far expect sequential and year-over-year growth of both earnings and revenue. Walmart results have not fallen short of consensus estimates in the past five quarters.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Retailers Offer Up Earnings (WMT, ANF, LOW, TGT)

Week in Preview: Retailers Offer Up Earnings (WMT, ANF, LOW, TGT) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This week, JCPenney (JCP), Kohl's (KSS) and Macy's (M) are the first of the major retailers to report results for the most recent quarter.

Macy's launched an American Express credit card and increased its mobile presence during the fiscal fourth quarter. The analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters forecast Macy's earnings for that period come to three cents per share, which compares to a net loss of three cents per share in the same period of last year. The Cincinnati-based department store operator is expected to post revenue of $5.6 billion for the three months that ended in October, which is 5.2% more than a year earlier. For the full year, the forecast calls for earnings of $1.50 per share (+6.7%) and $8.2 billion in revenue (+4.3%). Macy's earnings results have been better than expected in recent quarters by a penny or a few per share.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Macy's, Priceline, Others Kick Off Retail Earnings

Week in Preview: Macy's, Priceline, Others Kick Off Retail Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 07 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As the earnings season begins to wind down, retail earnings move into the spotlight. Already, JCPenney (JCP), Kohl's (KSS) and Macy's (M) have posted earnings that topped consensus estimates, though the former two also offered disappointing guidance, and Nordstrom (JWN) met earnings expectations.

Many more retailers are scheduled to post their second-quarter results this week, including Walmart (WMT), Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), and Dollar Tree Stores (DLTR), whose earnings expectations we'll take a closer look at here.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: Earnings from Walmart, Abercrombie and Other Retailers

The Week in Preview: Earnings from Walmart, Abercrombie and Other Retailers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) meets again on Tuesday. Though the August meeting of the FOMC is generally uneventful, this time there is speculation about whether the FOMC will resort again to some quantitative easing -- a way of pumping additional money into the financial system.

Fed chairman Ben Bernanke has already hinted at such a move, given that economic growth has clearly slowed. Last week's disappointing employment numbers are the latest confirmation of that. The question is whether the Fed's decision to take action will happen at this week's meeting, perhaps aggravating deflation fears, or it may wait until the September meeting, at which point it risks impacting the upcoming mid-term elections.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: FOMC Meeting, Consumer Sentiment, Retail Earnings

The Week in Preview: FOMC Meeting, Consumer Sentiment, Retail Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 12:30:00 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.

Continue reading Costco's Profit Increases 46% in the Third Quarter

Costco's Profit Increases 46% in the Third Quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 May 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Gap's First-Quarter Earnings Increase 40%

Gap's First-Quarter Earnings Increase 40% originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 May 2010 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Higher Revenue Helps Kohl's' First-Quarter Earnings

Higher Revenue Helps Kohl's' First-Quarter Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 May 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Aeropostale Sees Fourth-Quarter Earnings Increase

Aeropostale Sees Fourth-Quarter Earnings Increase originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Federal Reserve's next Beige Book report is scheduled to be released this week. This report is a compilation of anecdotal information on current economic conditions from each of the 12 Federal Reserve Bank districts, and it is released eight times a year. The data comes from interviews with business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources. The previous report, released in January, showed some improvement in most districts and growth in consumer spending over the holiday period, though unemployment remained high. The December report showed modest improvement in eight of the districts.

Retailers were in the earnings spotlight last week and for the most part made a strong showing of it. Even as the earnings season winds down, some more retailers are scheduled to release quarterly results this week.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: Fed's Beige Book, More Retail Earnings and Canadian Banks

The Week in Preview: Fed's Beige Book, More Retail Earnings and Canadian Banks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 28 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tuesday morning was a big one for retail earnings, with Home Depot, Macy's, Sears and Target reporting good news.

Barnes & Noble (BKS) total sales came to $2.2 billion in fiscal third quarter, a 33% increase year over year. Earnings were $80.2 million, or $1.38 per share. However, same-store sales slipped 4.7% from a year ago to $1.4 billion, despite strength from BN.com due to demand for the Nook. The company expects comps to decline in the fourth quarter, and forecast full-year earnings below consensus estimates.

Continue reading Retail Earnings Roundup: BKS, HD, M, SHLD, TGT

Retail Earnings Roundup: BKS, HD, M, SHLD, TGT originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:00:00 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.

Luxury retailer Tiffany (TIF) provided some news for a normally slow pre-Thanksgiving trading session, announcing third-quarter earnings for the Street to chew on.

The luxury retailer reported third-quarter earnings of 35 cents per share, matching its results from a year earlier. Earnings from continuing operations came in at 34 cents per share. By either measure, TIF handily topped the consensus estimate for earnings of 24 cents per share.

Continue reading Tiffany's serves up solid quarterly earnings

Tiffany's serves up solid quarterly earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Also reporting earnings Tuesday morning was home-improvement retailer Home Depot (HD). The company announced that third-quarter earnings dropped 8.9% to 41 cents per share thanks to weak housing and home renovation markets. That was a nickel better than analysts' expectations.

Revenue dropped from a year ago as well, but the $16.36 billion in revenue was better than the expected $16.27 billion. The company also expects full-year earnings of $1.55 per share, which is better than the forecast $1.52 per share.

Continue reading Home Depot tops Q3 estimates, but bad news drags the stock lower

Home Depot tops Q3 estimates, but bad news drags the stock lower originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

U.S. mega-retailer Target (TGT) stepped into the earnings spotlight Tuesday morning, and the company had a nice surprise for investors.

The firm reported third-quarter earnings of 58 cents per share, topping both the consensus estimate (50 cents per share) and last year's results (49 cents per share). Quarterly sales totaled $14.8 billion, matching the consensus estimate. For those who do not remember, analysts upped their estimates for Target after the company announced that it would beat its estimate of 43 cents per share.

Continue reading Target tops Q3 expectations, introduces 'low-price promise'

Target tops Q3 expectations, introduces 'low-price promise' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After the closing bell on Thursday, internet retailer Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) will step into the earnings spotlight. Experts believe that Amazon will report third-quarter earnings of 33 cents per share with revenue of $5.03 billion. Amazon forecast third-quarter revenue of $4.75 billion to $5.25 billion. In last year's third quarter, Amazon earned 27 cents per share with revenue of $4.26 billion.

With the economy struggling, what should we expect from Amazon? Reportedly, ThinkEquity saw traffic data that implies Amazon's unique visitors rose 23% in the latest quarter. If this is the case, the retailer's sales should have received a bit of a push in the quarter, which could lead to higher earnings. In fact, the ThinkEquity analyst (Ed Weller) told the Associated Press that he expects Amazon to report earnings of 35 cents per share on revenue of $5.13 billion.

Continue reading Amazon.com earnings preview: Expectations too high for Q3?

Amazon.com earnings preview: Expectations too high for Q3? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.