The new earnings season doesn't kick off until Alcoa (AA) reports its first-quarter results on April 11, but a few stragglers are still reporting their earnings for the previous quarter this week. The most prominent earnings reports on tap are Wednesday's results from Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) and from Monsanto (MON). Here's what analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect to see.

Bed Bath & Beyond

During its fiscal fourth quarter, the nation's largest domestics retailer opened new stores and its CEO sold shares. Analysts anticipate that the New Jersey-based company will report per-share earnings of 97 cents, an increase of 11.3% from the same quarter of last year. The company also is expected to post revenue of $2.4 billion for the three months that ended in February, a 6.3% rise from a year earlier.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Bed Bath & Beyond, Monsanto and Pier 1 Earnings

Week in Preview: Bed Bath & Beyond, Monsanto and Pier 1 Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Walgreen (WAG) a holding on our recommended buy list, reported a 10% increase in its fiscal second-quarter profit," notes Geoffrey Seiler.

The editor of BullMarket.com explains, "Although investors hammered the stock, we think the company delivered solid sales growth. We continue to believe the best is yet to come for Walgreen, with several notable catalysts in the wings.

Continue reading Walgreen: Overreaction Creates Opportunity

Walgreen: Overreaction Creates Opportunity originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The shares of upscale retailer Williams-Sonoma (WSM), first discussed here on December 14, 2009, at a price of $22.00, continue to push toward $40 in early 2011. If you haven't already, now may be a good time to consider taking some profits if you're in near $22 with WSM.

However, other investors who can tolerate the risk can maintain their full position, as a push beyond $45 by WSM in 2011 would not be a stretch, but the sell/stop loss has been raised to $28 from $22 to lock-in some profits.

Continue reading Williams-Sonoma's Bumpy Uptrend Continues

Williams-Sonoma's Bumpy Uptrend Continues originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is one in a series in which more than 60 newsletter advisors share their Top Stock Picks for 2011. This special report is courtesy of TheStockAdvisors.com.

"A financial crisis, severe recession, a supposedly 'tapped out' U.S. consumer -- none of it has been enough to derail Aeropostale (ARO), the New York City-based teen clothing retailer," says John Reese.

The editor of Validea Hot List Newsletter explains, "While other companies have struggled to survive in the past few years, the mall-based firm upped both earnings and sales in 2007, 2008, and 2009, and it's on track to do so again in 2010.

Continue reading Top Picks 2011: Aeropostale (ARO)

Top Picks 2011: Aeropostale (ARO) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Our recommendation for Dollar Tree (DLTR) is based on the investment strategy of growth and value investor James P. O'Shaughnessy," says John Reese.

The editor of Validea explains, "In fact, the stock scores a 100% rating on our screening model used to select stocks for our O'Shaughnessy-based model portfolio.

Reese continues, "Dollar Tree is an operator of discount variety stores offering merchandise at the fixed price of one dollar.

Continue reading Money Grows at Dollar Tree (DLTR)

Money Grows at Dollar Tree (DLTR) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Our recommendations center on a collection of five stocks that we believe, as a group, will outperform the market this month; our portfolio is beating the S&P 500 by more than 58% since its inception in 2000," notes David Fried.

The editor of The Buyback Letter explains, "High-end accessories retailer, Coach (COH), is a new addition to this portfolio.

"The company is a leading American marketer of fine accessories and gifts for women and men. Even in a struggling economy, apparently luxury sells, as long as you're stocking the right premium products.

Continue reading Coach (COH): A 'Buyback' Favorite

Coach (COH): A 'Buyback' Favorite originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GameStop (GME), which has jumped in price after announcing a stock buyback, is a new recommendation from John Reese, whose portfolio holds are based on screens developed to reflect the investment strategies of some of the stock's markets most successful investors.

The editor of Validea explains, "This recommendation is based on the P/E/ Growth Investor strategy of Peter Lynch.

"GameStop is a retailer of video game products and personal computer (PC) entertainment software. The company sells new and used video game hardware, video game software and accessories, as well as PC entertainment software, and related accessories and other merchandise.

Continue reading GameStop (GME): A Peter Lynch-Style Buy

GameStop (GME): A Peter Lynch-Style Buy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"At some point, the bearish outlook on consumer spending will become a crowded trade, as too much focus on risk threatens to blind one to opportunities that the ongoing pessimism and market turmoil have created," says John Buckingham.

The value investor and editor of The Prudent Speculator explains, "While we are not clamoring to add new names with general retail exposure, the receding tide has brought low all boats, including Tiffany & Co. (TIF), a company with a ubiquitous worldwide brand.

Continue reading Tiffany (TIF): 'Little Blue Box' Buy

Tiffany (TIF): 'Little Blue Box' Buy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Lululemon Athletica: Recipe for Success

Lululemon Athletica: Recipe for Success originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"The stock market is now below the midpoint of fair valuation, a fact that leads us to believe there is further upside for the market ahead," says J. Royden Ward, who specializes in uncovering value-oriented investments.

The editor of Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Letter explains, "Our goal is to identify value and one such value, in our view, is Wal-Mart Stores (WMT), the world's largest retailer, employing more than two million workers in more than 7,500 stores.

Continue reading Wal-Mart Stores (WMT): A Ben Graham Value?

Wal-Mart Stores (WMT): A Ben Graham Value? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In very contrarian fashion, Bernie Schaeffer has used the market pullback to initiate two positions in retail stocks.

The editor of Schaeffer's Research -- who uses a combination of technical, fundamental and sentiment-based metrics to select his trading positions -- has bought shares of Sears Holdings (SHLD) and Williams-Sonoma (WSM).

Schaeffer explains, "I initiated a long position in Sears Holdings. Price action for SHLD has been strong, with the equity up 13 percent year-to-date and 75 percent in the past 52 weeks.

Continue reading Contrarian Trader Shops for Sears, Williams-Sonoma

Contrarian Trader Shops for Sears, Williams-Sonoma originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 May 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading MercadoLibre (MELI): The 'eBay' of Latin America

MercadoLibre (MELI): The 'eBay' of Latin America originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 May 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On April 26, the long anticipated Senate climate bill is slated for its debut. Climate change talking points aside, how powerful a piece of legislation will this bill turn out to be for investors, and what could be its effects on manufacturing, retail and energy stocks?

For the sake of discussion, let's just assume that the bill will pass and become law. The first thing to understand is that it's not much more than an act of taxation. That new tax will be levied against businesses large and small via carbon offsets. They'll be showing up on balance sheets everywhere. Granted, we all know that businesses hand their tax bills down line to the consumers, but for large corporations and conglomerates, it's certain that the documentation and accounting will be more than a little distracting. Of course some business giants will be able to simply buy their way out from under the mess.

Continue reading Five Days Left to Deeply Consider Manufacturing and Energy Stocks

Five Days Left to Deeply Consider Manufacturing and Energy Stocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading GameStop (GME): A Technical Outperformer

GameStop (GME): A Technical Outperformer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Gymboree (GYMB): Children's Apparel Boosts Profits

Gymboree (GYMB): Children's Apparel Boosts Profits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Coach (COH): A Fashionable Investment

Coach (COH): A Fashionable Investment originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Everybody on Wall Street is looking for an edge. Our Quadrix(R) rating system is our edge, and we're always looking for ways to enhance its effectiveness," says quantitative analyst Richard Moroney.

In his Upside newsletter, he explain, "Among the best enhancements we've discovered focuses on the volatility of Overall Quadrix scores. Stocks with a history of steady Overall scores tend to have steady scores going forward. Below we look at two such stocks with strong and stable Quadrix scores."

Continue reading Aeropostale (ARO) and EZCorp (EZPW): Quants' New 'Best Buys'

Aeropostale (ARO) and EZCorp (EZPW): Quants' New 'Best Buys' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Kohl's: Pull-Back Is a Buy Opportunity

Kohl's: Pull-Back Is a Buy Opportunity originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In his High-Income Alert financial newsletter, Mark Skousen recommends Barnes & Noble (BKS), noting, "Barnes & Noble has almost 800 stores in 50 states. It also owns one of the Web's most-visited Web sites.

The advisor suggests, "The stock has attracted heavy insider buying. In our view, this looks like a superb contrarian buy right now."

Continue reading Insiders Read Up on Barnes & Noble

Insiders Read Up on Barnes & Noble originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Retailers don't like competition. As it is, they get enough of it from each other in the pursuit of razor-thin margins. It's standard practice to squeeze manufacturers for lower prices and more concessions as part of this battle.

For years, it's also been the norm for retailers to push back on manufacturers' direct-to-consumer models, as it gives consumers one less reason to enter the store, results in smaller basket sizes and greater pressure on wallet share. When a consumer product giant decides to bypass the retailers, eyebrows rise across the consumer business industry, with manufacturers thinking about new revenue possibilities while retailers worry that other product companies will follow.

Continue reading P&G Tinkers with Direct-to-Consumer Model

P&G Tinkers with Direct-to-Consumer Model originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.