Retail & Wholesale

Macy’s (M) gross margin remained flat in fiscal 2Q16 ended July 30, 2016. However, the company’s operating margin declined on a year-over-year basis.

Of the 18 analysts who have rated SFM, 12 have recommended a “buy,” and 6 have recommended a “hold.” None of the analysts have a “sell” rating on the stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM) reported results for fiscal 2Q16 on August 4, 2016. The value-oriented organic and natural food retailer reported a 14% year-over-year increase in adjusted diluted EPS, beating the consensus by 1 cent.

Macy’s adjusted EPS (earnings per share) fell by 28.6% on a year-over-year basis in 1Q16. Analysts expect Macy’s earnings to fall in 2Q16 also.

Cabela’s (CAB) has been outperformed by its peers based on PBV (price-to-book value) ratio. However, Cabela’s has mostly outperformed its peers based on PE (price-to-earnings) and price-to-sales ratios.

In fiscal 1Q17, Walmart’s operating margin declined by about 40 basis points to 4.6% mainly due to a rise in expenses associated with the planned wage rate increase in the Walmart US and Sam’s Club segments.

In this part of the series, we’ll discuss why investors shouldn’t worry about Amazon’s (AMZN) lofty valuations compared to those of its peers.

Despite lower sales, Best Buy’s gross margin improved from 23.7% in fiscal 1Q16 to 25.4% in fiscal 1Q17.

Few companies have the kind of ubiquitous presence that 3M Company (MMM) likely does in your everyday life.

Old Dominion Freight Line has 224 shipping service centers and 32 transfer points. ODFL serves nine major regions and thousands of direct points in the US.

There have been significant steps toward the eventual inclusion of China A shares in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

Amazon (AMZN) currently dominates the cloud infrastructure space. AWS (Amazon Web Services) is used by more than 1 million customers.

After Casey’s General Stores’ double-digit earnings growth over the last three fiscal years, Wall Street expects a slowdown in its earnings per share growth.

Let’s discuss Smart & Final Stores’ (SFS) main strategies regarding pricing, private labels, expansion, distribution, and merchandising.

Best Buy plans to improve its sales through a series of initiatives across merchandising, marketing, online channels, stores, supply chain, services, and customer care.

PVH Corp. (PVH) registered a 2.1% year-over-year increase in its top line in fiscal 4Q15, which ended January 31, 2016, to $2.1 billion.

China is the world’s second-largest economy. Its economy started going downhill due to sluggish global demand. This impacted its trading partners.

Icahn Enterprises (IEP) conducts its Home Fashion business through its indirect wholly owned subsidiary, WestPoint Home.

Time Warner stated at a Deutsche Bank (DB) investor conference early last month that it expects the number of movie screens in China to increase by about 30% in the next two years.

Whole Foods Market (WFM) is likely to see a slowdown in its top line during fiscal 2016. The organic and natural foods retailer could register sales growth of 3%–5%, according to the company’s guidance.

Casey’s has a strong, differentiated, low-risk business model. In fiscal 2015, 82% of its stores were in areas with populations of fewer than 20,000 people.

Casey’s business model focuses on opening stores in smaller towns, where the population is lower and competition is minimal.

Casey’s General Stores’ strong and differentiated business model has resulted in the company’s delivering total returns of 27% in the last year.

According to the NBS (National Bureau of Statistics of China), China’s GDP grew 6.7% in 1Q16.

Disney’s Zootopia earned $23.5 million at the Chinese box office between February 29 and March 6, 2016, and was ranked second at the box office in China.

Estée Lauder’s (EL) haircare segment’s revenue increased 8.7% in reported terms and 14% on a constant-currency basis to $0.15 billion in fiscal 2Q16.

The transaction value of the deal between Apollo and The Fresh Market stands at $1,334 million. Apollo is paying 7.9x the EBITDA.

As of March 4, 2016, Alibaba (BABA) has generated returns of -16.1% for the trailing 12 months and -15.3% in the trailing-one-month period.

The Neuberger Berman Greater China Equity Fund – Class A (NCEAX) adopts the value-bias strategy, and its objective is to seek long-term capital return in up and down markets.

The US food retail industry comprises of store formats that range from small grocery shops and convenience stores to large supermarkets and club stores.

The Fresh Market follows both competitive and differentiated pricing strategies.

Taking The Fresh Market (TFM) under its fold would enhance Kroger’s (KR) expansion in Florida and North Carolina, where TFM has 40 and 20 stores, respectively.

The Kroger Company (KR) might be seeking to acquire The Fresh Market (TFM). The Fresh Market’s (TFM) stock rose ~22% on Thursday, February 11, 2016, after the news of Kroger’s bidding hit the market.

The Fresh Market believes that it can achieve better returns by expanding in markets within or closer to its existing markets.

As of October 25, 2015, The Fresh Market had 180 stores across 27 states.

Whole Foods has developed the 365 format in order to compete with value-based organic food retailers like Trader Joes and mainstream retailers Wal-Mart.

In this part, we’ll discuss the company’s upcoming opportunities and potential threats.

Disney’s Media Networks segment was the biggest contributor to its revenue at 44% with segment revenues of $23.3 billion in fiscal 2015.

The greatest opportunity for Lowe’s (LOW) perhaps lies in fully leveraging the omni-channel (XLY) model.

Lowe’s (LOW) is one of the largest and oldest big box retailers around. It’s been publicly listed since 1961.