The calls for Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) to unlock shareholder value are growing. This is a classic defensive stock with a big dividend, but if you eliminate the great recession this stock…
The US Census Bureau reported this morning that retail sales in May fell by -0.2% month-over-month. Compared with May 2011, however, retail sales rose by 5.3%. For the three-month period of March through May,…
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is back on the chart breakout watch and it has risen at a time that the broader markets have been selling off. The shareholder vote last week was a…
Ron Burkle and his Yucaipa funds have distributed nearly 12 million shares of Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) to shareholders of two of the funds, according to a filing yesterday with the SEC.…
Mattress maker Tempur Pedic International Inc. (NYSE: TPX) updated full-year and second-quarter guidance this morning and investors did not like what the company had to say. Sales in the second quarter “have been below…
China, India, Brazil… all part of the BRIC nations along with Russia. The growth of those three nations has been slowing and the concern is growing that these nations and much of Latin America are…
Dollar General Corporation (NYSE: DG) managed to handily beat its earnings estimates when you consider that this is a retail stock in the secular theme of dollar stores. Earnings were $0.63 EPS and sales…
Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) is going to have more cash on its books now that can go to paying shareholders more dividends rather than paying plaintiffs in lawsuits against the company. Whether this…
The Conference Board has just released its Consumer Confidence reading for the month of May, showing that the decline seen in April was even a larger decline in May. The index came in at…
Retail Metrics is out with its forecasts showing that it still expects that the May 2012 Same Store Sales Index will come in with a gain of 1.7% for the month. This is effectively…
The Reuters/University of Michigan consumer survey for May is out and the index of consumer sentiment rose to 79.3, up from 76.4 in April and 74.3 in May 2011. Economists had been expecting a…
With 80% of the 120 companies it tracks having reported first quarter 2012 results, research firm Retail Metrics says that retailers who beat earnings estimates are up 5% year-over-year for the period, considerably higher…
Redbook Research reports each week on the status of retail sales. Usually these weekly reports do not really matter but this week may be an exception even if these are not exactly market-moving data. …
Two major US shoe retailers reported results this morning, and both blew through estimates. Brown Shoe Co. (NYSE: BWS), which ocourtesy Foot Locker Inc.wns the Famous Footwear stores among other brands, and Footlocker Inc.…
We noted earlier this morning that Verizon Wireless, the joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone Group plc (NASDAQ: VOD), will not offer unlimited data plans to existing customers when they…