May 17, 2013
Stage Stores Unexpectedly Swings to Q1 Net Loss, Still Backs 2013 Outlook
 Stage Stores, Inc. (SSI) said Friday that its department store sales were impacted by unseasonably cool spring weather during the first quarter and spending on consolidating its South Hill operations cut into GAAP profits. Expenses rose for the quarter, swinging the company to a net loss for the quarter against expectations of a profit by analysts. Stage Stores operates 872 department stores targeting price-conscious consumers in small and mid-size cities under the brands Bealls, Goody’s, Palais Royal, Peebles, Stage and Steele’s. For the quarter ended May 4, Houston-based Stage Stores reported revenue of $378.64 million, up 3.5 percent from $365.7 million in last year’s first quarter. Net loss for the quarter totaled $6.86 million, or 21 cents per share, compared to a net loss of $418,000, or 1 cent per share, in Q1 2012. The net loss included special items (more)…
May 16, 2013
6 Small Cap Education & Training Services Stocks Turning a Profit
 Equities continued their apparently unstoppable climb on this week with the Dow and S&P 500 closing on record highs once again. One of the industries that quietly did pretty well was education and training services, with 17 out of 22 companies posting gains. Apollo Group Inc., one of the largest, jumped just over 9 percent to $20.50. Indeed, throughout 2013, 14 out of the 22 companies in that industry listed on the Nasdaq, NYSE, and AMEX are up over 8 percent. Most of them are vocational training institutions that provide education in careers as various as nursing, culinary arts, business management as well as skilled trades. In a job market that has been steadily improving, but at a snail’s pace, it is no surprise that there is a demand for career-oriented, post-high school education. Presumably, investment in vocational training in (more)…
Jack in the Box Profits Tumble in Q2, Narrows Fiscal 2013 Outlook
 Jack in the Box, Inc. (JACK), the operator of its namesake and Qdoba brand restaurants, reported after Wednesday’s closing bell that sales and earnings declined in the fiscal second quarter. Wall Street expected the drop, actually to a worse degree with regards to profits, as the comparable quarter last year were inflated by asset sales. For the quarter ended April 14, San Diego-based Jack in the Box reported revenue of $355.6 million, down from $366.5 million in the year prior quarter. Earnings from continued operations were $13.3 million, or 29 cents per share, versus earnings of $21.6 million, or 48 cents per share, in the second quarter last year. On an adjusted basis, which excludes restructuring charges and impacts from refranchising, the company earned 33 cents per share, compared to 30 cents per share in last year’s quarter. Wall Street (more)…
Macy’s at All-Time High on Q1 Earnings Beat and Another Dividend Hike
 Shares of Macy’s Inc. (M) are printing all-time highs on Wednesday after the leading retailer beat analysts on first-quarter earnings and matched sales forecasts, despite colder weather and discerning shoppers . With the strong start to the year, Macy’s also informed that it has boosted its dividend payment and increased the size of it stock buy-back plan as the company sees the momentum continuing going forward. For the quarter, Cincinnati, Ohio-based Macy’s reported revenue of $6.39 billion, up 4 percent from the $6.14 billion it recorded in the same quarter last year. Net income for the quarter totaled $217 million, or 55 cents per share, up sharply from $181 million, or 43 cents per share in Q1 2012. Wall Street was expected Macy’s to deliver EPS of 53 cents on revenue of $6.39 billion. Same-store-sales for its namesake and Bloomingdale (more)…
May 14, 2013
Third Point’s Daniel Loeb Moves to Divvy up Sony
 Amid a recent fervor in the West for Japanese equities, Third Point Management’s Daniel Loeb was in Japan over the weekend meeting with executives at Sony (SNE), reportedly in an attempt to convince electronics and entertainment giant to spin off its entertainment business into a separate company. Loeb’s hedge fund has over time gathered a 6.5 percent stake in the company, 64 million shares estimated to be worth some $1.1 billion. In a letter to Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai delivered after the visit, Loeb had a great deal of praise for the company’s recent statements about making the changes necessary for a turnaround. At the same time, the language used in the letter, while laudatory, was unequivocal. Loeb was praising the company’s public statements about its intentions of implementing changes, but nowhere did he refer to any specific thing the (more)…
Cache Loss Widens to 51 Cents per Share in First Quarter
 Women’s apparel retailer Cache, Inc. (CACH) reported first-quarter financials that broadly missed expectations as reduced online promotions and an income tax provision contributed to sinking earnings. Severance packages, including the exit of former chief executive and chairman Thomas Reinckens who resigned in February, also stung profits. Reinckens was replaced by industry veteran Jay Margolis, the former president and CEO of Limited Brands (LTD), one-time president and COO at Reebok, president and vice chairman at Tommy Hilfiger and chairman and CEO of Esprit de Corp. USA. For the quarter ended March 30, New York-based Cache reported a 4.5-percent decline in net sales to $53.5 million, from $56.0 million in the year prior quarter. Net loss for the quarter totaled $18.5 million, or $1.38 per share, compared to a net loss of $1.2 million, or 9 cents per share in Q1 2012. (more)…
May 10, 2013
Priceline Offers Hefty Earnings Beat to Skeptical Investors
 Online travel booking company Priceline.com, Inc (PCLN), one of the highest-priced stocks on the market, reported first quarter earnings during late trading on Thursday indicating that the company’s profits were $244 million, or $4.76 per share on revenue of $1.3 billion, compared to the prior year period during which the company earned $182 million, or $3.54 per share on revenue of $1.04 billion. Adjusted earnings for Q1 were at $5.76 per share, and the numbers came in ahead of estimates that had Priceline earning $5.27 per share on revenue of $1.27 billion. The company cited a 36.4 percent increase in booking across its different businesses, for a total of $9.2 billion. Hotel reservations were up 38 percent on the prior year period, with 63.2 million nights booked. Car rentals and international flights also contributed to growth during the quarter. But (more)…
May 9, 2013
Monster Beverages Plummets on Legal Woes and Missed Earnings
 Shares for Monster Beverages (MNST) had dropped more than 7 percent on Thursday to as low as $50.75, after the company’s earnings report released during afterhours the previous day provided a bleak outlook. The incredibly popular and seemingly ever-expanding energy drink brand based in Corona, California posted net income of $63.5 million, or $0.37 per share on revenue of $482.4 million, compared to the prior year period during which the company netted $76.1 million, or $0.41 per share on revenue of $454.6 million. While revenue was up, the numbers fell well short of expectations that saw Monster making $0.46 per share on revenue of $502.2 million. Shares had immediately dropped 14 percent during afterhours trading in response. While the company tried to highlight sales growth, there was simply no getting around the costs from the ongoing controversy over the safety (more)…
TJX Companies Tightens First Quarter Outlook on Strong Sales
 The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX) on Thursday reported an 8 percent increase in comparable store sales in April, motivating the discount retailer to raise the lower end of its first quarter guidance. For the four-week period ended May 4, sales totaled $2.0 billion, up 9 percent over the $1.8 billion recorded during the four-week period ended April 28, 2012. Consolidated comparable store sales grew by 8 percent, driven by increases in customer traffic. TJX said in a statement that customers responded to “our extremely fresh selections of branded spring apparel.” The Farmington, Massachusetts-based company also said that for the 13-week period ended May 4, sales equaled $6.2 billion, up 7 percent to the 13-week period ended April 28, 2012. Comparable store sales for this time frame also showed an 8 percent increase. The monthly and quarterly rise in same-store-sales topped (more)…
Green Mountain Soars on Huge Earnings Beat
 Shares for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) soared over 15 percent in late trading on Wednesday to $68.81 per share, and the activity causing trading to be halted at one point, as the company posted a huge beat on earnings and raised its guidance for the current quarter and full year for the second time. For the first quarter of 2013, Green Mountain’s profits were $132.4 million, or $0.93 per share (excluding items) on revenue of $1 billion, versus the prior year period during which the company netted $93 million, or $0.58 per share on revenue of $885 million. Not only was this a vast improvement on 2012, but the company flattened consensus earnings-per-share expectations of $0.74. Furthermore, the company upped its guidance for the current quarter to $0.71 to $0.78 per share, and for the full year to $3.05 (more)…
Older Posts »
|
|
