Posts related to ‘Retail’

Barnes & Noble (BKS) Runs Out Of E-Readers: Amazon (AMZN) Stands Alone

Sony (NYSE:SNE) said it might not have its e-reader, the Daily Edition Reader, ready to ship before Christmas. It has given customers a range of dates for availability of its product that could be as early as December 18 or as late as January 8.

Now, Barnes & Noble (NYSE:BKS) has come up short on the inventory of units for its device–the Nook. The book retailer said, “Preorders have exceeded our expectations.”

Barnes & Noble and Sony came into the e-reader market to challenge the extremely successful Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Kindle which has established a large enough market to prove the devices are popular. Several research firms say that they expect e-reader sales to hit three million this holiday season. Amazon is the only competitor in the field which has effectively managed its inventory. That leaves Barnes & Noble and Sony with little more than the embarrassment of botched launches. Read More »

Posted on: November 21, 2009 – 7:27 am in Retail, , ,

52-Week High Club (DDS, DBRN, SJM, MRK)

Dillard’s Inc. (NYSE: DDS) rose as high as over 10% to a yearly high of $15.79 after the department-store chain was upgraded by Deutsche Bank AG.  

Dress Barn Inc. (NASDAQ: DBRN) rose as high as 9.2% to a yearly his of $22.42 after the women’s clothing retailer announced earnings of $0.37, beating analysts estimates.

The J.M. Smucker Company (NYSE: SJM) rose as high as 6.3% to a yearly high of $56.86  after the jam and peanut butter maker reported earnings of $1.222 per share, beating analyst estimates.  

Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) rose nearly 4% to a yearly high of $36.67 after the pharmaceutical company announced that drug Elonva was recommended for treatment of the ovaries in the European Union.

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted on: November 20, 2009 – 4:11 pm in Earnings, Food, Pharmaceuticals, Retail, , , ,

The Palm Margin Squeeze (PALM, S, AMZN, WMT)

Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) has sort of already fallen from grace despite all the hype behind the Palm Pre.  Throw in that Pixi too.  Discounting is trumping what may be weaker sales.  It turns out that Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) is offering the Palm Pre for Sprint for a mere $79.99.  Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S) has it offered direct at $149.99 price after discounts and rebates at its site.  Sprint Nextel is also selling the Palm Pixi for $99.99, but the Palm Pixi is now for sale for $24.99 at Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT).  We confirmed all these prices on the websites, and this is going to confirm tough times for Palm and its finances.
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Posted on: November 20, 2009 – 9:24 am in Consumer Electronics, Retail, Technology Companies, Telecom, Wireless, , , ,

Black Friday Gimmicks & Desperation, A Win For Consumers (WMT, BBY, COST, TGT, KSS, GPS, M, JWN, MA, AMZN)

We are right at a week away from the highly awaited Black Friday for 2009’s holiday and Christmas season.  As you likely know, this is THE day that retailers look forward to all year and critically depend upon as an anchor to how each retailer’s full year earnings results turn out.  You may already be tired of Christmas ads and the holidays haven’t even arrived yet.  With over 10% unemployment, a recession-end that doesn’t feel like a recession-end, a very tight discretionary spending budget, and a general lack of consumer confidence, it is no surprise at all that the focus for the Holiday Season in 2009 is one of deals and thrift.

These are not in any particular order, but the promotions have been reviewed at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), Best Buy Co. (NYSE: BBY), Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST), Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE: M), and Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN).  There is also already promotion between MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) and Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN).  Admittedly, this is just a sampling of major outlets.

What is amazing is just how much of the deal-making is already out before the holiday season starts as retailers key off of each other.  It is almost impossible to avoid thinking how such a promotional Christmas and Holiday Season in 2009 is going to add pressure to margins at almost all the first-line retailers.
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Posted on: November 19, 2009 – 12:54 pm in Apparel, Calendar, Editor's Picks, Entertainment, Luxury, Product Review, Retail, , , , , , , , , ,

52-Week High Club (AMD, ASMI, ALV, CHS, GGWPQ, LFT, DE)

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) rose over 10% to a yearly high of $7.33 after the computer processor maker announced today that it would offer $500 million in senior notes, the cash from which will be used to purchase its 5.75 percent convertible notes due in 2012.

ASM International N.V. (NASDAQ:ASMI) rose over 5% to a yearly high of $24.69 after the semiconductor equipment maker was upgraded by Fortis Bank Nederland NV.

Autoliv Inc. (NYSE: ALV) rose over 3% to a yearly high of $41.84 after the airbag manufacturer said that production is holding up well in the fourth quarter.

Chico’s FAS Inc. (NYSE: CHS) rose over 14% to a yearly high of $15.43 after the women’s clothes retailer announced 3Q earnings of $0.13 per share, nearly doubling analysts expectations.  

General Growth Properties Inc. (OTC: GGWPQ) rose over 35% to a yearly high of $6.19 after Simon Property Group Inc. (NYSE: SPG) announced that it had hired Lazard Ltd to lookk into buying assets from General Growth.  

Longtop Financial Technologies Limited (NYSE: LFT) rose nearly 10% to a yearly high of $35.30 after the Chinese software developer said that it had added 3.7 million additional American depositary receipts priced at $31.25.

Deer & Company (NYSE: DE) rose over 6% to a yearly high of $52.28 after Jim Cramer recommended buying shares in the tractor maker, arguing that the company would benefit from increased agricultural activity.  

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted on: November 18, 2009 – 4:15 pm in Agriculture, Autos, Mergers and Buy Outs, Retail, Semiconductor, Technology Companies, , , , , , , ,

Thursday Earnings Retail Bonanza (DKS, FL, GPS, ROST, SHLD, BKE, PLCE, WTSLA, WSM, ZUMZ)

The earnings season is mostly winding down, but we still have a slew of retail earnings in the apparel and home categories.  On Thursday alone, we have earnings from Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS), Foot Locker Inc. (NYSE: FL), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST), Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), The Buckle (NYSE: BKE), The Children’s Place Retail Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCE), Wet Seal Inc. (NASDAQ: WTSLA), Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM), and Zumiez, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ).

We have compiled data and analysis here using Thomson Reuters consensus estimates, recent metrics offered by the companies, relative performance, and more.  As with what we have seen at most retail and apparel earnings this week and last, many of these are richly valued and probably cannot just hope to please the bulls by meeting estimates on cost cutting and inventory management and then giving cautious guidance.
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Posted on: November 18, 2009 – 3:38 pm in Apparel, Calendar, Earnings, Retail, , , , , , , , , ,

52-Week High Club (AGO, SMTL, SINA, TWB)

Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE: AGO) over 32% to a yearly high of $28.14 after the company posted earnings of $0.44 per share, beating analysts estimates.  

Semitool Inc (NASDAQ: SMTL) rose over 30% to a yearly high of $11.00 after Applied Materials Inc (NASDAQ: AMAT) agreed to buy the company for $11.00 per share, or $364 million.  

Sina Corp (NASDAQ: SINA) rose over 10% today to a yearly high of $47.95 after the Chinese internet portal beat earnings and projected margin improvements.  

Tween Brands Inc (NYSE: TWB) rose over 11% today to a yearly high o $10.16 after the company posted a profite of $0.58 per share, beating analyst estimates.  

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted on: November 17, 2009 – 3:56 pm in Financial Stocks, Media, Mergers and Buy Outs, Retail, Semiconductor, Technology Companies, , , , ,

Amazon (AMZN) And MasterCard (MA) Turn To Social Networks For Holidays

nokThe use of social networks to sell products and services gets more complex by the day. The latest scheme to tap into the swarms of people who congregate at Facebook is a program from MasterCard (NYSE:MA) and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN).

The promotion for the credit card and e-commerce companies will allow consumers to go to a new website. The site will allow people who want to buy gifts for their social network “friends” to find their personal characteristics like age and sex and pick presents accordingly. Read More »

Posted on: November 16, 2009 – 5:54 am in Internet, Retail, ,

Sony (SNE) Throws Cold Water On The Holidays

bearSony (NYSE:SNE) expects its holiday sales to be poor. That is terrible news for the consumer electronics and PC industries. Sony is a nearly perfect proxy for those sectors. It sells PCs, video games, TV screens, and digital cameras. Many of Sony’s competitors will have to gird for another harsh holiday selling season, unless the forecast from the big Japanese firm is based on a large drop in market share across most of its businesses.

Sir Howard Stringer, Sony’s CEO, was quoted by Reuters as saying “There hasn’t been that turning point that many had hoped for. We are waiting for a signal that hasn’t arrived.” Read More »

Posted on: November 16, 2009 – 5:00 am in Consumer Electronics, Retail, Video Games, , , ,

Earnings Duel on Deck: Lowe’s vs. Home Depot (LOW, HD)

Money Stack PicThis week’s earnings calendar is going to be dominated by retail earnings.  Early in the week you have the home improvement and building material wars with earnings first out of Lowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) on Monday and then Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) on Tuesday.

We have compiled estimates from Thomson Reuters, made some key comments on what to look for in each report, shown past performance, and given some added color on what to look for ahead.  We have some concerns here about how these stocks are valued.  We also showed the relative performance for 2009, the gains since March 9 that traders use as the official end of the death spiral, and we are also showing performance since July 31.
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Posted on: November 15, 2009 – 10:46 am in Calendar, Earnings, Housing, Retail, ,

24/7 Wall St. TV: Should Starbucks (SBUX) Serve The Deranged?

24/7 WallSt TVStarbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) is s fine place for the homeless and deranged to spend their time. The purchase of one cup of coffee gives them access to comfortable chairs, bathrooms, and music for hours the same way that it does for all the coffee shop firm’s partons.

There appears to be more mentally troubled and homeless people in Starbucks stores. That may be because of the recession, or it may simply be an impression based on an unscientific sample. Read More »

Posted on: November 14, 2009 – 8:49 am in Retail, TV, ,

Retail & Apparel Earnings Dominate Next Week (SKS, BJ, GYMB, ANN, DKS, FL, GPS, SHLD, PLCE, WTSLA, ZUMZ)

Bull and Bear ImageIt seems that earnings season is winding down, but next week we have many of the key retail and apparel players reporting earnings.  Saks Incorporated (NASDAQ: SKS), BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. (NYSE: BJ), Gymboree Corp. (NASDAQ: GYMB), and Ann Taylor Stores Corp. (NYSE: ANN) are all reporting next week.  Next Thursday may feel like a retail and apparel earnings bonanza as we have Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS), Foot Locker Inc. (NYSE: FL), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), The Children’s Place Retail Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCE), Wet Seal Inc. (NASDAQ: WTSLA), and Zumiez, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) all reporting earnings in one day.

We have provided estimates from Thomson Reuters, recent sale store sales data, share performance, and added color on what else to consider where applicable.
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Posted on: November 13, 2009 – 11:36 am in Apparel, Calendar, Earnings, Retail, , , , , , , , , , ,

Target (TGT) Promotes $3 Appliances

hersheyDVDs and e-books that sell for under $10 is one thing. Appliances that sell for $3 is another. Target (NYSE:TGT) is offering toasters, coffee makers, and slow roasters at $3 each, according to data from GotADeal.com.  It is a sign that discounting to pull in retail customers is getting out of hand.

A number of retail industry analysts have questioned whether Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), and Target (NYSE:TGT) can make money on their DVD promotions. It is just as likely that they choose to lose money on these items to draw people into stores or to their online sites.. They hope that those customers will buy more expensive products that have reasonable profit margins. It is a risk, but given the revenues of the three companies, not a big one. Read More »

Posted on: November 13, 2009 – 6:11 am in Retail, , ,

Too Many Apple (AAPL) Stores

appleApple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will have too many retail stores at some point. It will face the “Starbucks problem” of over-building. Starbucks once boasted that it would eventually have 40,000 coffee shops worldwide. It will be lucky to end up with 20,000.

A $3 cup of coffee is not a $1,500 Mac. Apple will reach a ceiling of profitable retail stores at a count much lower than Starbucks.

Apple has 279 stores and is adding to that total at the rate of about 50 per year and that pace is likely to increase. According to CNET, 170 million people visited Apple outlets in the company’s 2009 fiscal year and during that period the company brought in $6.6  billion of its $29.9 billion in revenue through sales at retail. Read More »

Posted on: November 13, 2009 – 5:53 am in PC Companies, Retail, , ,

Wal-Mart (WMT): It’s Beginning To Look At Lot Like Christmas

WMTWal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) beat Wall St. expectations for earnings and revenue.

Perhaps more important, it indicated that the fourth quarter would be OK. The Christmas retail season just began to look a bit better.

Wal-Mart reported diluted earnings per share from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 of $0.84, exceeding the company’s guidance of $0.78 to $0.82. Walmart earned $0.77 per share from continuing operations in the third quarter last year. Net sales for the third quarter were $98.667 billion, an increase of 1.1 percent from $97.619 billion in the third quarter last year. Read More »

Posted on: November 12, 2009 – 7:43 am in Earnings, Retail,

Macy’s Highlights Value-Performance Conundrum in Dept. Stores (M, JWN, KSS)

Bull and Bear ImageMacy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) is showing just how much of a conundrum there is between today’s retail stock valuations and the reality of what to expect from earnings ahead.  Macy’s had a narrower loss in the last quarter of $35 million, or -$0.08 EPS; but outside of items its earnings were -$0.03 EPS.  Revenues were down over 3% to $5.28 billion. Thomson Reuters had estimates at -$0.07 EPS and $5.25 billion in revenues.    The company did manage solid inventory management controls and its ongoing localized merchandise by region was part of why it raised its sales and earnings guidance for the year.

Still, there are issues between today’s share price versus valuations and where it came up from.  This also highlights issues that lie ahead for Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) and Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS) ahead of their earnings this week.
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Posted on: November 11, 2009 – 10:12 am in Apparel, Earnings, Earnings Warning, Retail, , ,

52-Week High Club (PCLN, TWTC, FOSL)

Priceline.com Inc (NASDAQ: PCLN) surged over 20% to a yearly high of $209.19.  The global online travel agency rose after the company forcast that 4Q earnings would be at least $1.52 a share, with current analyst estimates resting around $1.49.  

tw telecom inc. (NASDAQ: TWTC) rose as high as 10% today as it reached a yearly high of $15.24.   The internet and telephone service provider was upgrade by JPMorgan Chase & Co. to “overweight” from “neutral”. 

Fossil Inc (NASDAQ: FOSL) rose as high as 11.5% to a high of $32.07 toda as the fashion accessory designer and distributor raised their earnings estimates.  

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted on: November 10, 2009 – 4:29 pm in Earnings, Retail, Telecom, , , ,

52-Week High Club (ANF, DISH, RSH, REV)

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) surged over 7%  to a yearly high of $37.80 after the company was upgraded from “neutral” to “buy” by anlysts at Goldman Sachs.  

DISH Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH) was up over 8% at its peak at a yearly high of $20.80 after the company announced that it would pay a one-time dividend of $2 for all Class A and B shares.  

RadioShack Corp. (NYSE: RSH) rose over 14% today to a yearly high of $20.57 after the electronics retailer announced that it plans to sell Apple iPhones in some of its stores that are located in major metropolitian areas.  This announcement has precipitated some analyst upgrades.

Revlon Inc. (NYSE: REV) surged over 37% today to a yearly high of $15.06.  The company announced that it intends to offer $330 million in senior notes that will be due in 2015 in order to pay off debt due in 2011.  The company was also upgraded to “outperform” by BMO Capital Markets.

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted on: November 9, 2009 – 3:59 pm in Dividend, Media, Retail, Satellite, , , ,

Wal-Mart (WMT) Lends Hand To The Poor One $2 Meal At A Time

WMTThe cynic’s view of Wal-Mart’s (NYSE:WMT) new expansion of its Great Value private label food brand is that it is aimed at making as much money as possible from those who are out of work or work for the minimum wage. The New York Times reports that Wal-Mart is marketing the brand as a way for food shoppers to get good meals for “less than $2 a serving.” It might not be too crass to say that the program is nothing but the big box retailer’s equivalent of the McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) $1 “Value Meals.” Read More »

Posted on: November 9, 2009 – 5:39 am in Economy, Retail, ,

Top 10 Earnings on Deck This Week (ERTS, ENER, PCLN, SQNM, TYC, AMAT, M, JWN, WMT, DIS)

bull-and-bear-image2Earnings season has wound down now with over 85% of the S&P 500 Index having reported.  Still, there are some key companies posting their quarterly results and some companies were screened out of this list which are still actively traded or widely held stocks.  Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENER), Priceline.com Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN) and Sequenom Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM) are on deck Monday. Also this week are earnings from Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC), Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE: M), are Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN). Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) are our two DJIA components reporting this week.

We have included Thomson Reuters consensus estimates and included performance and other important color where applicable.  We have shown the share performance since the March 9 close that traders mark as the official end date of the bloody bear market.  One issue to consider is that we used the performance since June 30 to keep consistency for our prior previews even though some of the quarter-ends this coming week are technically August 31.
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Posted on: November 8, 2009 – 10:26 am in Alternative Energy, Calendar, Cult Stock, Earnings, Green Biz, Retail, Semiconductor, Short Interest, , , , , , , , , ,