24/7 Wall St. » TJX

After the Fall: Retail Stocks Upside Potential Remains (COST, WMT, TGT, M, KSS, JCP, GPS, LTD, AEO, ANF, TJX, DG)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:22:09 +0000

Retailers have fared better than many other sectors over the past year, with the majority of share prices having risen although price to book values remain negative. Thus, either the sector is undervalued or there is something amiss.

When the stores reported first quarter earnings, the preponderance of guidance pointed to slower sales in the second quarter likely based on sales pulled forward into the first quarter due to warm weather. But it could be the case that falling gasoline prices are giving sales a lift in May that could continue through June. According to the latest report from Retail Metrics, retailers are on track to post a comparable store sales gain of 3.6% in May, excluding the negative effect of lost sales at Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) due to its being dropped by pharmacy benefits management firm Express Scripts Inc. (NASDAQ: ESRX).

We looked at a dozen retailers with an eye toward discerning value opportunities for investors: Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST), Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M), Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS), J.C. Penney Company Inc. (NYSE: JCP), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD), American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO), Abercrombie & Fitch Inc. (NYSE: ANF), The TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX), and Dollar General Corp. (NYSE: DG).

Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) traded at $84.14 and has a market value of around $37 billion. The consensus target price from Thomson Reuters is $86.83 and the 52-week range is $70.22-$92.10. Costco has a dividend yield of 1.3%. The implied upside to the consensus target is just 3%, and we would note that the target is below the 52-week high.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) traded at $64.65 and has a market value of around $220 billion. The consensus target price from Thomson Reuters is $65.28 and the 52-week range is $48.31-$64.88 (new high set today). Walmart has a dividend yield of 2.5%. The implied upside to the consensus target is barely 1%, but we would note that the target is still above the 52-week high.

Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) traded at $56.84 and has a market value of around $38 billion. The consensus target price from Thomson Reuters is $63.65 and the 52-week range is $45.28-$58.95. Target has a dividend yield of 2.1%. The implied upside to the consensus target is 12%, and we note again that the target is above the 52-week high.

Filed under: Dividend, Economy, Retail, Value Investing Tagged: AEO, ANF, COST, DG, GPS, JCP, KSS, LTD, M, TGT, TJX, WMT

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AVP, BAC, BBY, BA, DCI, FB, GS, HLF, KIRK, MS, MYGN, NUAN, PBR, RHI, ROST, SWY, SPLK, TJX, ZBRA)

Administrator — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:35:55 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls this Monday.

Avon Products Inc. (NYSE: AVP) Cut to Sell at UBS.

Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) Cut to Market Underperform at JMP Securities.

Best Buy Co. (NYSE: BBY) Cut to Hold at BB&T.

Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) Raised to Buy at Argus.

Donaldson Company. Inc. (NYSE: DCI) Reiterated Outperform and raised estimates at Credit Suisse.

Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) Started as Positive at Susquehanna.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) Cut to Market Underperform at JMP Securities.

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE: HLF) Reiterated Buy at Argus.

Kirkland’s, Inc. (NASDAQ: KIRK) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) Cut to Market Underperform at JMP Securities.

Myriad Genetics (NASDAQ: MYGN) Raised to Outperform at Leerink Swann.

Nuance Communications (NASDAQ: NUAN) Started as Neutral with $25 target at Goldman Sachs.

Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) Raised to Buy at Societe Generale.

Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST) Cut to Hold at Canaccord Genuity.

Safeway (NYSE: SWY) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.

Splunk, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLK) Started as Overweight at Barclays.

TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX) Cut to Hold at Canaccord Genuity.

Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ: ZBRA) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.

If you enjoyed the top analyst upgrades and downgrades, you can join our free email newsletter that includes analyst summaries each morning sent right to your inbox. We also cover top issues such as IPOs, special financial exclusives, mergers and more. Sign up in the box below.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AVP, BA, BAC, BBY, DCI, FB, GS, HLF, KIRK, MS, MYGN, NUAN, PBR, RHI, ROST, SPLK, SWY, TJX, ZBRA

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — May 15, 2012

Paul Ausick — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:05:44 +0000

Two of the three major US stock indexes opened higher this morning as investors reacted to the news from Greece that no government could be formed and that a second election will be held next month. The news on German manufacturing was good (more coverage here) and US data was also mostly better, but not enough to deflect a weak opening. Equities moved higher later in the day, but overall the market looks set to close half a point lower than where it opened. The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.75% at 81.211. The GSCI commodity index is down about 1% at 639.40, with commodities mostly higher today, defying the stronger dollar. WTI crude oil closed down -0.8% at $93.98/barrel and Brent crude trades up 0.65% at $112.30/barrel. Gold settled down -0.3% today, at $1,557.10/ounce, the yellow metal’s lowest close of the year to date (more coverage here).

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 63 points to 12,632.08 (-0.50%), the NASDAQ fell nearly 9 points (-0.30%) to 2,893.76, and the S&P 500 fell -0.57% or nearly 8 points to 1,330.66.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) raised to ‘outperform’ at Credit Suisse; Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) cut to ‘hold’ at Needham; Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) raised to ‘buy’ at Argus; McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) cut to ‘neutral’ at Cowen; and Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) started as ‘buy’ at Citigroup.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN) is up 5.5% at $5.79; Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is up XX% at $XX; A123 Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: AONE) is up 4.5% at $40.63; Arctic Cat Inc. (NASDAQ: ACAT) is down -10.6% at $37.84; Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) is up 6.8% at $50.45 after posting a new 52-week high of $51.65 earlier today; Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS) is down -0.5% at $10.00; TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX) is up 7.1% at $42.50; Valspar Corp. (NYSE: VAL) is down -6.7% at $46.45, and The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) is down -2.6% at $48.61 (more coverage here).

On Wednesday we are scheduled to get earnings from 8×8 Inc. (NASDAQ: EGHT), Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF), Chico’s FAS Inc. (NYSE: CHS), Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE), Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK), and Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Facebook Inc. (soon to be NASDAQ: FB) raised its IPO price range from from $28-$35 to $34-$38. It is possible the world will regain its balance following the company’s IPO, expected for Friday. But maybe not.

Patriot Coal Corp. (NYSE: PCX) is down -18.8% at $3.92 after posting a new 52-week low of $3.91 earlier today. The coal miner lowered shipment and price expectations this morning. More coverage here.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is up 1.7% at $36.39. CEO Jamie Dimon dodged a bullet at today’s shareholder meeting and kept both his jobs.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard is giving a speech. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
8:30 a.m. – Housing starts
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
2:00 p.m. – FOMC minutes released

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: A, ACAT, AMAT, AMZN, ANF, AONE, CHS, CL, DE, DKS, EGHT, FB, JACK, JPM, MCD, PCX, PSX, RENN, SKS, TGT, TJX, VAL

April Same-store Sales Headed for a Fall (WAG, KSS, SKS, JCP, TJX, XRT)

Paul Ausick — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:32:21 +0000

US retailers will report April same-store sales results this week and the outlook calls for a substantial drop from March’s gain of 3.9% to an April rise of just 1.4%. The data comes from research firm Retail Metrics Inc.

The consensus estimate for a same-store sales gains is down -0.1% from a week ago as a result of lowered forecasts from Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) and Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS). Other top retailers taking share price hits today include Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS) down nearly -4%, J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) down about -1%, and The TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX) down about -1.3%.

Other factors contributing to the lower expectations include the early Easter holiday which pulled sales into March, warm weather in Feburary and March, a late Mother’s day that will push marginal sales into May, and a very high comparison to an 8.7% same-store sales jump in April 2011.

Retail Metrics notes that “the state of the American consumer remains somewhat fragile:”

Unemployment is still entrenched north of 8%, gasoline prices near $4/gallon but looking to have peaked, consumer confidence mixed, … housing and home prices searching for a bottom, growing concerns over a third straight annual economic soft patch, and the weekly initial jobless claims four-week moving average having ticked up again last week.

The research firm also noted that of 19 retailers reporting first quarter results for fiscal quarters ending in March, 16 beat expectations and 15 posted higher year-over-year earnings growth. On the basis of those numbers, Research Metrics now expects first quarter retail earnings to rise 10%, up from an earlier forecast of 8.7%.

Combining the two months of March and April, same-store sales are expected to gain 2.8%, “well below” the average increase for the last 14 months of 4.7% growth. The 2012 growth is also lower than either 2010 (5.2%) or 2011 (4.6%). Some of this year’s drop is attributed to the much higher comparable sales in 2011, as we’ve already noted.

The SPDR S&P Retail ETF (AMEX: XRT) posted a new 52-week high this morning of $63.03 before giving some of the gain back to trade at $62.03 at about 12:30 p.m. The ETF has gained nearly 18% in the past 12 months though it is down slightly for the year-to-date.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Consumer Goods, Retail Tagged: JCP, KSS, SKS, TJX, WAG, XRT

Adjusting Retail Sales Expectations Mostly Higher (M, KSS, JWN, TJX, ROST, GPS, BKE, WTSLA)

Administrator — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:00:07 +0000

The research firm Retail Metrics is out signaling better than expected retail sales should be the norm this week when companies report their March same-store sales figures. The report noted that February sales and traffic were strong with comparable sales up 4.2% and it expects that trend looks to have continued in March.

Many factors are cited: an earlier Easter holiday by 16 days this year, very favorable weather conditions, improving employment, well received colorful spring merchandise assortments, rising consumer confidence, and pent up demand.

While estimates have been moving higher, Retail Metrics expects that retailers should surprise on the upside for a fourth consecutive month. It does warn, however, that the gains in March may come at the expense of April and it also noted that retailers face a very steep 8.7% comparison with April 2011 and that makes for an uphill battle.

The report noted that (after falling over the weekend) department store forecasts turned up and now stand at 4.2%. Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE: M), Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE: KSS), and Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) all experienced 20 basis point upward moves to their consensus estimates. Other gains in expectations were as follows: The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX) with a 130 basis point rise; Ross Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST) with a full 100 basis point rise; Zumiez, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) with a 60 basis point rise; and eve Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) showing a 40 basis point rise.

Buckle Inc. (NYSE: BKE) is expected to be one of the surprise reduced forecasts by 70 basis points, but its stock is with 2% of a 52-week high. Another large reduction was an 80 basis point tempering of expectations from the Wet Seal Inc. (NASDAQ: WTSLA) and its stock has been very weak in the last year.

We should be getting most of the same-store sales reports on Wednesday and Thursday of this week ahead of the Easter weekend.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Apparel, Consumer Goods, Economy, Retail Tagged: BKE, GPS, JWN, KSS, M, ROST, TJX, WTSLA

Retail Sales Push Higher in February (COST, TGT, KSS, JWN, SKS, SSI, M, GPS, TJX, LTD, ROST, SMRT, WTSLA, BKE, ZUMZ)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:53:35 +0000

Retailers have been posting same-store sales figures for February this morning, and most are posting better-than-expected numbers — in some cases, much better than expected. We have reports from 15 companies: Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST), Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT, Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS), Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN), Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS), Stage Stores Inc. (NYSE: SSI), Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M), Gap Stores Inc. (NYSE: GPS), TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX), Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD), Ross Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST), Stein Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRT), Wet Seal Inc. (NASDAQ: WTSLA), The Buckle Inc. (NYSE: BKE), and Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ).

Some highlights:

Costco sales rose 8%, but shares are flat shortly before noon.
Macy’s posted a same-store sales jump of 4.6%, and the company’s shares hit a 52-week high of $38.38.
TJX’s sales rose 9% and the shares posted a new 52-week high of $37.07.
Ross Stores’ sales jumped 9% as well, and the company’s stock put up a new 52-week high of $54.27.
Buckle’s same-store sales rose a whopping 14.8%, and the shares posted a new 52-week high of $48.43.
Zumiez’s sales rose 14.2% in February and the stock put up a new 52-week high of $33.84.

The biggest change came from Gap Stores. The company posted a same-store sales jump of 4%, when analysts were expecting a shortfall of -1.4%. Shares posted a new 52-week high of $26.00, more than $2/share above the previous high.

Kohl’s and Wet Seal were the only stores on this list to show sales dips, but Wet Seal’s dip was only half what had been expected. Kohl’s was expected to break even, but same-store sales fell -0.8%.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: BKE, COST, GPS, JWN, KSS, LTD, M, ROST, SKS, SMRT, SSI, TGT, TJX, WTSLA, ZUMZ

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (CHK, LVLT, TJX, HPQ, JNPR, ANGI, SAM, CBOU, DRYS, FLS, FLR, GDP, KBR, AMT, BBG, CTHR, DDS, DISH, FWLT, OMX, TGT, VVUS, ONVI, SHLD, PVA, GTI)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:06:35 +0000

After a flat opening this morning, markets turned down before reversing course in mid-morning to return to positive territory, where they spent the rest of the day. A good report on new US jobless claims and a report on housing prices showed a gain of 0.7% in the last quarter of 2011. Doubts about whether or not Greece would be able (or willing) to meet its commitments held European markets down and hampered what might have been larger gains today. The US oil inventory report showed a build of 1.6 million barrels, but the larger-than-expected gain didn’t slow oil price gains. WTI crude is up 1.51% at $107.89/barrel and Brent crude is up 0.64% at $123.69/barrel. Gold settled up 0.9% at $1,786.30, its highest finish in three months.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 46 points to 12,984.91 (0.36%), the NASDAQ rose nearly 24 points (0.81%) to 2,956.98, and the S&P 500 rose 0.43% or nearly 6 points to 1,363.46.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) reiterated as ‘neutral’ at Credit Suisse; Level 3 Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) raised to ‘overweight’ at Morgan Stanley; TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX) reiterated as ‘hold’ at Argus; Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) reiterated as ‘neutral’ at Credit Suisse; and Juniper Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: JNPR) cut to ‘market perform’ at FBR.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Angie’s List Inc. (NASDAQ: ANGI) is up 10.10% at $15.92; Boston Beer Company Inc. (NYSE: SAM) is down -4.5% at $99.88; Caribou Coffee Co. Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOU) is down -1.8% at $17.28; DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS) is up 6.7% at $3.67; Flowserve Corp. (NYSE: FLS) is up 2.8% at $121.08; Fluor Corp. (NYSE: FLR) is up 6.2% at $64.11; Goodrich Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: GDP) is down -4.4% at $16.07; Hewlett Packard is down -6.4% at $27.08; KBR Inc. (NYSE: KBR) is up 9.1% at $36.01; American Tower Corp. (NYSE: AMT) is up 0.68% at $63.69; Bill Barrett Corp. (NYSE: BBG) is down -0.5% at $27.77; Charles & Colvard Ltd (NASDAQ: CTHR) is up 22.3% at $3.73 after posting a new 52-week high of $3.99 earlier today; Dillard’s Inc. (NYSE: DDS) is up 10.6% at $57.73; Dish Network Inc. (NASDAQ: DISH) is up 1.5% at $29.60 (more coverage here); Foster Wheeler AG (NASDAQ: FWLT) is up 7.5% at $25.58; Officemax Inc. (NYSE: OMX) is up 7.25% at $5.92; and Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) is up 3.5% at $54.80 (more coverage here).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Vivus Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS) is up nearly 80% at $18.93 after posting a new 52-week high of $21.44 earlier. The drug maker yesterday received an FDA panel approval for its obesity drug. More coverage here, here, and here.

Onvia Inc. (NASDAQ: ONVI) is up about 34% at $4.21. The government contractor service provider has rejected a buyout bid at $4.25/share, boosting hopes of a bidding war.

Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) is up nearly 19% at $61.93. The retailer reported an enormous loss, but also announced plans to pare down the company. More coverage here.

Penn Virginia Corp. (NYSE: PVA) is down nearly -15% at $4.92. The independent oil & gas company missed EPS estimates badly, and lowered its production forecast for 2012.

GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE: GTI) is down more than -15% at $13.07. Volume is more than 10x the daily average of 1 million shares traded. The industrial products company reported a big revenue miss this morning.

Stay tuned for Friday. St. Louis Fed president James Bullard and New York Fed president William Dudley are giving speeches. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

9:55 a.m. – Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index
10:00 a.m. – New home sales

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: AMT, ANGI, BBG, CBOU, CHK, CTHR, DDS, DISH, DRYS, FLR, FLS, FWLT, GDP, GTI, HPQ, JNPR, KBR, LVLT, OMX, ONVI, PVA, SAM, SHLD, TGT, TJX, VVUS

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (BRCD, CAB, CHK, CEO, EXM, HPQ, JNPR, LVLT, ERIC, MELI, PTR, POOL, TJX, VVUS)

Administrator — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:25:15 +0000

These are some of this Thursday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls.

Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: BRCD) Reiterated Hold at Argus.
Cabela’s, Inc. (NYSE: CAB) named as value stock of the day at Zacks.
Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) Reiterated Neutral at Credit Suisse.
CNOOC Ltd (NYSE: CEO) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Excel Maritime Carriers (NYSE: EXM) Cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) Reiterated Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) Cut to Market Perform at FBR.
Level 3 Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) Raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley.
LM Ericsson Telephone Company (NASDAQ: ERIC) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
PetroChina Company Limited (NYSE: PTR) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Pool Corporation (NASDAQ: POOL) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.
TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX) Reiterated Hold at Argus.
VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS) reiterated Outperform but raised target to $36.00 at Credit Suisse; Raised to Hold at Brean Murray.

If you enjoyed the top analyst upgrades and downgrades, you can sign up in the box below to join our morning email list to receive news directly in your inbox each morning. We include major analyst upgrades and downgrades, IPO and M&A news, special situation developments, observations on Warren Buffett and key market gurus, as well as special exclusive feature stories.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: BRCD, CAB, CEO, CHK, ERIC, EXM, HPQ, JNPR, LVLT, MELI, POOL, PTR, TJX, VVUS

Top Earnings Previews For Wednesday (ADI, ANGI, SAM, CHS, CLH, ESRX, FLR, GRMN, HPQ, LTD, PAAS, SINA, TJX, TOL, ZLC)

Administrator — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:25:23 +0000

This week is still slated to be busy for earnings reports. We have compiled earnings previews for the following stocks reporting Wednesday: Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI); Angie’s List Inc. (NASDAQ: ANGI); Boston Beer Co. (NYSE: SAM); Chico’s FAS Inc. (NYSE: CHS); Clean Harbors Inc. (NYSE: CLH); Express Scripts Inc. (NASDAQ: ESRX); Fluor Corp. (NYSE: FLR); Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN); Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ); Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD); Pan American Silver Corporation (NASDAQ: PAAS); SINA Corp. (NASDAQ: SINA); TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX); Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL); and Zale Corporation (NYSE: ZLC).

Included in the previews are some pricing data and color on each preview. Estimates are the consensus targets from Thomson Reuters.

Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI) is now up 35% from last year’s low and within about 6% of a 52-week high after many of the chip names have had phenomenal 2012 moves. Estimates are $0.48 EPS on $662.3 million in sales.

Angie’s List Inc. (NASDAQ: ANGI) is set to see its first public earnings release. We have always wondered about its lack of earnings as sort of unacceptable, but so far Wall Street has stayed by it. Estimates are -$0.11 EPS on $25.38 million in sales. At $15.20, the post-IPO range is $10.77 to $18.75.

Boston Beer Co. (NYSE: SAM) remains at a premium value on its earnings at 24-times expected 2012 earnings estimates. Estimates are $1.12 EPS and $131.6 million in sales.

Chico’s FAS Inc. (NYSE: CHS) is still trying to get its ship back in order. Estimates are $0.11 EPS and $546.66 million in sales.

Clean Harbors Inc. (NYSE: CLH) has remained highly valued and it has recently split its stock after an incredible share move in recent years. Estimates are $0.48 EPS and $506.04 million in sales. 4Q 0.49

Express Scripts Inc. (NASDAQ: ESRX) is still pending a review by the FTC in its attempt to acquire Medco. Many feel that the deal could be blocked. Earnings estimates are $0.85 EPS on sales of $11.6 billion.

Fluor Corp. (NYSE: FLR) still remains well off of its highs and is still at a premium at 16.5-times expected 2012 earnings for this infrastructure design leader. Estimates are $0.82 EPS and $6.38 billion in sales.

Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN) is expected to report $0.66 EPS on $769.9 million in sales. The turnaround continues here as it continues to move away from being dependent upon Garmin sales for in-car navigation.

Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) is still just getting a plan underway for its Meg Whitman-lead turnaround. Estimates are $0.87 EPS on $30.7 billion in sales.

Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD) is expected to post $1.46 EPS and $3.47 billion in sales.

Pan American Silver Corporation (NASDAQ: PAAS) is expected to report earnings of $0.51 EPS on $229.59 million in revenues. We will be looking for its cost per ounce of production in silver.

SINA Corp. (NASDAQ: SINA) is expected to report $0.21 EPS on $129.34 million in sales. This stock remains down by more than half from last-year’s highs.

TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX) remains at a premium valuation and shares hit a new all-time high on Tuesday. Estimates are $0.62 EPS on $6.72 billion in sales.

Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) is expected to report $0.02 EPS on $360.8 million in sales. Home builders are profitable again, often from ‘other’ activities. Shares just hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday.

Zale Corporation (NYSE: ZLC) is expected to post its “money quarter” that includes the holiday sales. Estimates are $0.77 EPS on $657.38 million in revenue. Keep in mind that this company is still expected to lose money for its full year ending in July.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Calendar, Earnings Tagged: ADI, ANGI, CHS, CLH, ESRX, FLR, GRMN, HPQ, LTD, PAAS, SAM, SINA, TJX, TOL, ZLC

Retail Sales Roundup (COST, TGT, JCP, KSS, DDS, JWN, SKS, SSI, M, GPS, TJX, LTD, ROST, SMRT, WTSLA, BKE, ZUMZ, WAG)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:24:53 +0000

US retailers are reporting December same-store sales today, and here’s a wrap-up of the results as of about 10 a.m. this morning. Reports were in from Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST), Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP), Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS), Dillard’s Inc. (NYSE: DDS), Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN), Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS), Stage Stores Inc. (NYSE: SSI), Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), The TJX Cos. Inc. (NYSE: TJX), Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD), Ross Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST), Stein Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRT), Wet Seal Inc. (NASDAQ: WTSLA), Buckle Inc. (NYSE: BKE), Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ), and Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG).

Teen stores Buckle and Zumiez battered expectations, while Gap and Wet Seal both missed expectations badly.

Data from CNBC.

Store	Consensus Est.	Actual
Costco	7.6%	7.0%
Target	3.1%	1.6%
J.C. Penney	-0.1%	0.3%
Kohl’s	2.2%	-0.1%
Dillard’s	3.0%	4.0%
Nordstrom	5.1%	8.7%
Saks	5.8%	5.8%
Stage Stores	1.0%	1.2%
Macy’s	5.0%	6.2%
Gap	-1.3%	-4%
TJX	2.6%	8%
Limited	5.7%	7%
Ross	4.2%	9%
Stein Mart	-1%	Flat
Wet Seal	-1%	-3.7%
Buckle	5.0%	8.9%
Zumiez	5.1%	10%
Walgreen	-0.1%	0.4%

Buckle shares are up more than 2% at $41.33 in a 52-week range of $33.97-$47.97. Zumiez shares are up more than 14% at $30.13 in a 52-week range of $15.85-$30.90. Gap shares are down nearly -4% at $18.18 in a 52-week range of $15.08-$23.73. Wet Seal shares are down more than -2.5% at $3.21 in a 52-week range of $3.03-$5.23.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Apparel, Consumer Goods, General, Retail Tagged: BKE, COST, DDS, GPS, JCP, JWN, KSS, LTD, M, ROST, SKS, SMRT, SSI, TGT, TJX, WAG, WTSLA, ZUMZ