Sonya Bells

Wall Street expects a 10.7% year-over-year jump in Walgreens Boots Alliance’s (WBA) EPS to $1.45 during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018.

Sprouts Farmers’ better ratings reflect its steady performance in terms of healthy margins, consistent same-store sales, and strong earnings.

Canaccord Genuity analyst Camilo Lyon upgraded Nike (NKE) from “neutral” to “buy” on September 11.

WBA’s fiscal 2Q17 EPS stood at $1.36, in line with estimates. Its top line, however, missed the consensus estimate, falling 2.4% YoY to ~$29.5 billion.

To survive in the highly competitive pharmacy and retail space, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) is entering into new innovative partnerships.

Nike (NKE) reported its first quarterly loss in over 20 years in fiscal 3Q18.

Fuel continues to be Casey’s General Stores’ (CASY) largest segment, accounting for around 60.0% of its total sales.

While PVH Corp has done better than most peers in the stock market, the dividend yield offered by its stock is among the lowest in the industry.

Coach (COH), America’s leading luxury handbag and accessories maker, is buying Kate Spade (KATE) for a total transaction value of $2.4 billion.

Confident about achieving fiscal 2017 guidance After a healthy first quarter, Coach’s (COH) management is expecting strong results for fiscal 2017. The company reiterated its fiscal 2017 guidance of a low-to-mid-single digit top-line increase and an 18.5% to 19% expansion of its operating margin. “We achieved growth across key financials, including sales, gross profit and […]

Kroger’s margins have deteriorated continuously over the last year As mentioned previously, Kroger’s (KR) top line has grown over the last 15 quarters, despite rising competition and other headwinds. However, its profitability has taken a hit in the last year. Kroger’s EPS (earnings per share) have fallen for the last four quarters. The company has sacrificed […]

Nike’s balance sheet size is larger than the combined balance sheets of Lululemon Athletica (LULU), Under Armour (UAA), Columbia Sportswear (COLM), and Skechers (SKX).

Goldman Sachs took a positive stance on handbag makers Tapestry (TPR) and Michael Kors (KORS) on December 5, 2017.

The company’s quarterly earnings per share rose 44% YoY (year-over-year) to 23 cents, beating the Wall Street expectations by five cents.

Casey’s General Stores (CASY) stock has yielded strong returns for its shareholders. The stock price rose by around 35% in 2015 after rising 30% in 2014.

Whole Foods Market reported a 1.9% year-over-year (or YoY) increase in its top line, primarily driven by new store openings.

Wall Street analysts expect a YoY (year-over-year) rise of 3.9% in HanesBrands’ (HBI) total sales to $1.71 billion in the second quarter.

Casey’s General Stores’ (CASY) prepared food and fountain segment is its most important segment in terms of profitability.

The current string of departures appears to be linked to Nike’s ongoing efforts to overhaul workplace culture.

The California-based Skechers (SKX) is slated to release its third-quarter 2017 results on Thursday, October 19.

Lululemon Athletica warned of a slowdown for the next quarter and the coming year. As a result, a host of brokerage companies reacted with outlook revisions and rating downgrades.

Nike continued to deliver a solid performance with a 10% YoY increase in 1Q17, primarily driven by a double-digit growth in the company’s overseas markets.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) is looking to divest 650 stores in order to win the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) approval for its pending Rite Aid (RAD) acquisition.

Analysts have a positive to neutral view on Walgreens and has rated its stock a “2” on a scale of “1-strong buy” to “5-sell.”

Kroger (KR) recorded a 9.6% YoY increase in EPS in fiscal 4Q16, reaching 57 cents, as compared to the consensus estimate of 54 cents per share.

For fiscal 2016, Kroger reported total sales of $109.8 billion. It rose 1.3% from the previous year—the slowest sales growth since fiscal 2010.

Skechers’ (SKX) solid 3Q17 results were followed by a host of analyst actions.

As we discussed in the previous part of this series, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) has failed to please investors in 2017. The stock is down 12% YTD (year-to-date) and is trading at $72.86.

Rite Aid (RAD) reported 2Q net earnings of $170.7 million, or 16 cents per share.

Casey’s General Stores’ fiscal 2015 total revenue stood at $7.7 billion, registering a 0.9% year-over-year fall, primarily on account of lower fuel prices.

Dollar Tree (DLTR) delivered a stellar performance in the stock market in 2017.

Wall Street expects Supervalu’s (SVU) 3Q18 total sales to increase 34% YoY to $4 billion. The sales growth will likely be driven by its wholesale business.

Rite Aid has witnessed a continuous deterioration in its profitability over the years.

Whole Foods, for the first time in five years, registered negative same-store sales in its 4Q15. Its comps stood at -0.2% in 4Q15 compared to 3.1% in 4Q14.

Walgreens Boots Alliance and CVS Health are both well-covered stocks. While Walgreens is tracked by 27 analysts, 25 analysts cover CVS.

HanesBrands (HBI) is currently trading at a one-year forward PE multiple of 12.2x.

The yoga-inspired athletic apparel retailer Lululemon Athletica’s (LULU) stock is soaring today after the company reported robust first-quarter results and issued upbeat guidance yesterday.

SuperValu (SVU) reported a 10.7% YoY (year-over-year) decline in its gross profit on account of higher inventory shrinkage and employee costs in 4Q16.

Kroger (KR) predicted that its fiscal 2017 earnings will be $2.19–$2.28 per share—compared to consensus estimates of $2.23.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) is a well-covered stock. The company is tracked by 27 analysts and has a rating of 2.7 on a scale of 1 (strong buy) to 5 (sell).

Kroger (KR) plans to release its fiscal Q1 results on June 21. Wall Street is looking for a 2.9% YoY increase in its sales to $37.3 billion.

One day after Kate Spade’s upgrade, Under Armour and Gap also came under scrutiny. On September 13, Nomura initiated coverage of UA with a “neutral” rating.

The second quarter of 2018 is expected to be one of Walgreens Boots Alliance’s (WBA) strongest quarters in two years.

For fiscal 2018, Kroger (KR) guided an EPS range of $2.21–$2.25. At the midpoint, this implies an increment of ~5.2% over the previous year’s earnings.

Hanesbrands (HBI) reported a 1% increase in net sales to $1.2 billion for fiscal 1Q16, which ended on April 2, 2016.

Under Armour’s (UAA) stock plunged 25% after the company reported lower-than-expected top and bottom lines and a glum guidance.

Dollar General (DG) is currently trading at a one-year forward price-to-earnings ratio of 16x, operating close to the lower end of its 52-week PE range of 14.3x to 20.3x.

At its current one-year forward earnings valuations multiple, HBI is operating closer to the lower end of its price-to-earnings range.

Though Skechers (SKX) fared better than expectations in profitability and on sales in 1Q18, the management’s guidance for 2Q18 came as a big disappointment for investors.

Despite fading financial performance, Whole Foods Market (WFM) continues to display higher margins than its supermarket and mass-merchandising competitors.

Columbia Sportswear’s (COLM) stock had a good run in 2017, with the stock surging 23% during the year.

President Trump unveiled an ambitious tax-reform plan that offers sweeping cuts in individual and corporate tax rates. The proposal features the reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35% to ~20%.

Casey’s General Stores reported a 6.3% YoY (year-over-year) fall in total sales to $1.6 billion in fiscal 3Q16, missing consensus estimates by $29 million.

In fiscal 2Q17, Foot Locker’s (FL) gross margin fell 340 basis points to 29.6% of sales.

Walgreens Boots Alliance’s (WBA) fiscal 3Q17 earnings per share (or EPS) are expected to rise 10.2% YoY (year-over-year) to $1.30.

Around 62% of analysts covering Nike recommend a “buy” for the stock, 32% recommend a “hold,” and 5% recommend a “sell.”

The stock price for Rite Aid (RAD) plunged more than 12% after the announcement of the deal closure with Walgreens on September 19.

During the first six months of 2017, SFM’s EPS rose 12.7% YoY.

Dollar General (DG) released its fiscal 2Q17 results on Thursday, August 31, 2017. The results relate to the three-month period ending August 4, 2017.

Kroger’s margins have been under pressure from rising competition and deflation over the past couple of quarters.

In the last few quarters, Skechers (SKX) stock has shown high volatility after its quarterly results.

L Brands (LB) reported a 25% YoY (year-over-year) decline in second-quarter earnings per share to $0.36.

On August 12, 2016, Ralph Lauren was trading at a one-year forward earnings multiple of 20x. This is the highest PE ratio for RL in the last year.

As discussed previously, Nike (NKE) may be escaping two major headwinds it faced during fiscal 2018, namely North American market weakness and currency headwinds.

Target (TGT) is currently trading at a one-year forward PE (price-to-earnings) multiple of 13x. The company is cheaper to Walmart and Costco, which are trading at 16x and 24x next 12-month earnings.

Wall Street analysts predicted a 13.3% YoY rise in Kroger’s earnings in 3Q16, going to $0.39 from $0.35 in 3Q15. Sales for fiscal 1H16 stood at $58.5 billion.

Ralph Lauren’s stock price hasn’t shown any signs of improvement this year. Its stock price has fallen more than 23% YTD (year-to-date) as of May 13, 2016.

Under Armour’s (UAA) top line slowed to 6.6% YoY (year-over-year) growth in 1Q17, compared to 20%+ average growth over the last eight quarters.

Dollar General’s (DG) top line improved 8.5% to $17.3 billion during the first nine months of 2017 compared to the same period the previous year.

The Cincinnati-based Kroger (KR) is slated to report its second-quarter 2018 results at 10:00 AM EDT on September 8, 2017.

According to a recent study by Goldman Sachs, S&P 500 companies have parked $920 billion of untaxed cash overseas

2017 hasn’t been a great year for sportswear stocks so far. Lululemon Athletica, Under Armour, and Columbia Sportswear have fallen 29%, 16.5%, and 4.7% year-to-date.

Skechers stock fell 7.9% to $26.42 on September 12 after Susquehanna analyst Sam Poser lowered his fiscal 2018 and 2019 EPS estimates for the company.

Casey’s General Stores (CASY) stock soared yesterday after the company reported better-than-expected fiscal Q1 2019 results.

HanesBrands (HBI) reported a 12% year-over-year increase in its 2Q17 sales to ~$1.6 billion, which is in line with Wall Street expectations and company guidance.

The analyst community seems to be positive about PVH and sees the potential for further price rises from its level of $94.3 as of March 24, 2016.

At 12:20 PM ET, Skechers (SKX) stock fell 3.84% from yesterday’s closing price after Cowen & Co. turned bearish on the company this morning.

Whole Foods Market (WFM) has been the best-performing supermarket stock this year.

Skechers’s gross profit improved 22% YoY to $583 million during the first quarter.

Dollar Tree (DLTR) stock didn’t show much momentum even though the company met top and bottom line expectations.

Sprouts Farmers Market’s (SFM) management continues to remain positive on the company’s performance in the next year.

Kroger (KR) is currently trading at a one-year forward price-to-earnings ratio of 12.9x, which is lower than its three-year average of 14.4x.

Overall, analysts do not have a negative sentiment toward Nike’s stock, as the company has not received any “sell” recommendations yet. On September 20, 2016, the company had 21 “buy” and 12 “hold” recommendations from Wall Street analysts.

Two of Nike’s (NKE) top-level executives parted ways with the company last week amid reports of inappropriate workplace behavior

Ralph Lauren’s merchandise is available through ~13,000 wholesale distribution channels, 501 retail stores, 589 shops-within-shops, and ten websites.

The New York–based Estée Lauder (EL) reported results for the third quarter, which ended on March 2018, this morning.

Coach’s (COH) stock price crashed after it reported its fiscal 4Q17 results on August 15, falling 15% on guidance that fell short of Wall Street expectations.

In October 2015, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) announced its intention to acquire Rite Aid (RAD) for a total enterprise value of $17.2 billion.

In this part of the series, we’ll conduct a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat) analysis for The Fresh Market (TFM).

Supervalu’s operating margin increase in fiscal 3Q16 was a result of lower corporate (TSA) losses during the quarter.

Developed by Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter, Porter’s Five Forces Model is used for assessing the nature of competition and attractiveness of an industry.

Dollar Tree (DLTR) is expected to release its third-quarter 2017 results on November 21. It’s projected to report a 5.5% rise in total sales.

Nike’s (NKE) stock plunged over 7% on Wednesday, March 23, a day after the company reported mixed results for fiscal 3Q17.

The S&P 500 Apparel and Accessories index As discussed in the previous part, the S&P 500 (SPX) erased some of its YTD (year-to-date) gains last week (between January 29 and February 2), recording its largest drop over a week in the last two years. The index fell 3.8% and is currently sitting at a YTD gain of […]

PVH’s Heritage Brands segment, which includes brands such as Van Heusen, ARROW, Izod, Speedo, Warner’s, and Olga, accounted for 18% of its revenue in 2Q16.

As we discussed, Michael Kors (KORS) is slated to report its first-quarter results on August 8. Management has guided for $0.60 to $0.64 in earnings per share.

Total revenue for Phillips-Van Heusen’s fiscal 4Q15 stood at $2.1 billion, registering a rise of 2.1% compared to fiscal 4Q14.

Competitive rivalry is extremely strong in the organic and natural food industry. More companies are entering and expanding their presence in the industry.

Nike is the world’s largest athletic footwear and apparel company. It dominates the sportswear market in Europe, China, and North America.

Casey’s, as per the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), falls under the sub-category of gas stations with convenience stores.