retail posts
FeedPosted Feb 9th 2010 8:30AM by Steven Mallas (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings Reports, Wal-Mart (WMT), Walgreen Co (WAG), CVS Corp (CVS), Rite Aid Corp (RAD)
CVS Caremark (CVS), which competes with Walgreen (WAG), Rite Aid (RAD), and Wal-Mart (WMT), posted fourth-quarter data on Monday. Sales increased 7%, and adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations (excluding, in addition, a penny per share relating to a tax benefit) came in at 78 cents -- good for a growth rate of over 11%. That bottom-line performance matched analyst projections, according to our earnings preview.
As we all know, matching expectations is sometimes the death of a stock. The market has no conscience when it comes to mercilessly punishing an equity for not going beyond the call of the analysts. However, CVS actually did pretty well yesterday, rising 5% by the end of the session; the move was backed by healthy volume.
Continue reading CVS Caremark: Long-Term Bet After Q4?
Posted Feb 1st 2010 12:50PM by Joseph Lazzaro (RSS feed)
Filed under: Kohl's Corp (KSS), Stocks to Buy

Retailer Kohl's Corp's (
KSS) stock has dipped in the past two months, and typically that would be a concern with a retailer, but not this solid retail sector performer, which is a major reason I'm reiterating my buy rating for the company's shares, first recommended
on April 26, 2009, at a price of $43.862.
Simply, Kohl's has the right business model at the right time. Kohl's is a moderate-price retailer that's held its own amid the recession, and will now benefit from a wider customer spectrum as the economic expansion continues.
Continue reading Kohl's: Pull-Back Is a Buy Opportunity
Posted Jan 27th 2010 4:40PM by Steven Mallas (RSS feed)
Filed under: Wal-Mart (WMT), Activision Inc (ATVI)
My trade on GameStop Corp. (GME) has come to an inauspicious end. Today, I sold out of my position, realizing a significant loss.
It's always difficult to turn a paper loss into an authentic one. You worry if the stock is going to suddenly rise after you sold out. I'm sure that could happen in my case. In fact, at the time of this writing, shares were higher than the price at which I sold them. I ditched them at around $19.60 per share.
Continue reading Trade Update: Realized Loss on GameStop
Posted Jan 20th 2010 2:40PM by Steven Mallas (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings Reports, Coach Inc (COH)

Coach (
COH) is a mystery to me today. I thought the numbers from its latest quarter were pretty good. And yet, the stock sells off. That alone is not so mysterious; heck, it happens all the time. What makes it so strange for me is I've covered so many other retailers that post awful numbers and then go on to see a big bid. Hey, that's the market, right?
Anyway, Coach said total sales increased 11% in the second quarter. North American same-store sales advanced over 3%. Earnings came in at 75 cents per share, 8 cents better than last year's income stat. Earnings.com says Wall Street was looking for 72 cents per share.
Continue reading Coach Sells Off on a Decent Quarter
Posted Jan 15th 2010 11:20AM by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed)
Filed under: Bad News, Economic Data
Despite all the hype and wishful thinking, retail sales, reported Thursday morning, fell in December. This came as a surprise to analysts, many of whom forecasted increases of 2% or more, though there were some calling for declines of up to 3%. The holiday season wasn't enough to overcome cautious consumer spending, which has been driven largely by an unemployment rate that remains stubbornly high at 10%.
Data from the Commerce Department released Thursday puts the decline in retail sales from November to December at 0.3%, while expectations were for an increase of 0.5%. Excluding auto sales, the drop was 0.2%, still weaker than the 0.3% increase anticipated by analysts. This decline follows an increase of 1.2% in October and 1.8% in November. In September, retail sales fell 2% from August.
Continue reading Retail Sales Fall in December, Surprising Analysts
Posted Jan 14th 2010 6:00PM by Steven Mallas (RSS feed)
Filed under: Press Releases, Wal-Mart (WMT), Target Corp. (TGT), Best Buy (BBY)
Target Corporation (TGT), a retailer that competes with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) and Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY), had some good news today for its shareholders. Management has decided to reinstate its stock buyback program. According to the press release, the company believes the economic environment has improved to the point where reducing some of its float could be a worthwhile investment.
This buyback is a continuation of a $10 billion program begun back in November 2007. About half of that sum has already been spent; the remainder of the allocation is expected to be used up in two to three years. So, this isn't an aggressive move, certainly. And, as always, evolving market conditions can affect the intended schedule.
Continue reading Target Thinks Its Stock Is a Good Investment -- Should You?
Posted Jan 12th 2010 12:20PM by Mark Fightmaster (RSS feed)
Filed under: Forecasts, Electronic Arts (ERTS)
It is shaping up to be a very rough day for Electronic Arts (ERTS), as the company has lowered its full-fiscal-year guidance for a second time in two months.
Electronic Arts expects to report a loss of $1.94 to $2.24 per share, which is far greater than the earlier-estimated loss of $1.20 to $2.05 per share. Revenue is now expected to total $3.6 billion to $3.68 billion, a narrower range than the previously forecast $3.6 billion to $3.9 billion. Taking one-time charges out of the equation, Electronic Arts expects earnings of 40 to 55 cents per share compared to its earlier forecast for 30 cents to a dollar per share. Furthermore, Electronic Arts estimated a third-quarter loss of 24 cents to 32 cents per share on revenue of $1.23 billion to $1.25 billion.
Continue reading Electronic Arts Lowers Its Full-Year Forecast ... Again
Posted Jan 7th 2010 4:00PM by Jon Ogg (RSS feed)
Filed under: General Electric (GE), Bank of America (BAC), Bed Bath and Beyond (BBBY), Boeing Co (BA), Sears Holdings (SHLD), Lennar Corp'A' (LEN), QUALCOMM Inc (QCOM)

Today's stock market was up more than it was not throughout the trading session, yet the feeling was more of an up-day after better than expected retail data and after more and more data points to a decent jobs figure for Friday's unemployment and non-farms payrolls data. Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:
Dow 10,607.69 +34.01 (0.32%)
S&P 500 1,141.65 +4.51 (0.40%)
Nasdaq 2,299.00 -2.09 (-0.09%)
Top Analyst Upgrades/DowngradesContinue reading Closing Bell: Actually Better Than It Looks (LEN, GE, GME, BBBY, SHLD, QCOM, BA, BAC)
Posted Jan 7th 2010 3:15PM by Steven Mallas (RSS feed)
Filed under: Wal-Mart (WMT), Nintendo (NTDOY)
Have you ever had one of those days? Yeah, you've had 'em. I'm having one right now. I cannot believe how wrong my thesis on GameStop (GME) turned out to be. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
I honestly thought things were going to be different today. The video-game retailer would report its holiday sales and I would see a pop in my shares. I would have the opportunity to sell out at a nice price above my cost basis. A cost basis, by the way, that had been severely challenged soon after I opened the position.
Continue reading Trade Update: GameStop -- An Absolute Nightmare
Posted Jan 6th 2010 4:45PM by Steven Mallas (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings Reports, Wal-Mart (WMT), Target Corp. (TGT), Family Dollar Stores (FDO)
Family Dollar Stores (FDO) is a hot stock this afternoon. As of this writing, shares were up over 11% on monster volume. Investors loved the first-quarter numbers. I found them intriguing, too.
Sales increased almost 4%, with same-store sales registering a 2.4% expansion. Net income jumped over 16% to 49 cents per diluted share. According to our earnings preview, Family Dollar was supposed to do 47 cents. Gross margin improved; one of the driving factors for this improvement was a reduction in seasonal markdowns, something I find particularly encouraging, since avoiding markdowns should always be near the top of the list when it comes to advisable actions in retail operations. In addition, management reiterated its guidance for the full fiscal year. Taking everything in total, I think we can say that the retailer delivered a strong quarter, especially in the face of the tough holiday period.
Continue reading Family Dollar Up Big on Q1 report
Posted Jan 6th 2010 9:00AM by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed)
Filed under: Employees, Economic Data, Recession
The job market looked grim at the beginning of 2009, but as we crossed into 2010, there seems to be a glimmer of hope. We still aren't seeing jobs added yet, but at least the cuts are headed in the right direction. Last month, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, announced layoffs fell 10% to 45,094. This is the lowest level seen since December 2007, exactly two years earlier, when there were only 44,416 job cuts. The most recent tally is also off 10% from November's 50,349, making it the fifth month in a row that layoffs have decreased. Since July, the stat has fallen 14% a month, on average.
Continue reading December Layoffs Lowest in a Year
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