Excluding the effects of Walgreen Co.’s (NYSE: WAG) of its Express Scripts Inc. (NASDAQ: ESRX) prescription drug business, projections for department store sales have dropped by 0.6% since the beginning of June to an expected growth of 1.7%. The forecast for Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS) dropped to -2.5%, while Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) is expected to post growth of 2.4% and Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) is expected to improve by 0.2% from earlier expectations.
The TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX) and Ross Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST) forecasts improved by 20 basis points since the end of last week. Other retailers helping to prop up the sector are Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: KORS) and Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ).
Weighing the sector down are O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: ORLY), Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY), and Abercrombie and Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF).
Paul Ausick