When the CEO of Walmart says that inflation is coming, we best be on the lookout. As head of America's largest retailer, Bill Simon is in a unique place to see inflation traveling all the way through the supply chain.

Walmart's (WMT) advanced computer systems are the some of the largest and most advanced computer systems in the world -- on par with computers the U.S. military uses. Every product and purchase is tracked to get stores resupplied as quickly as possible, usually just in time. As a retailer, Walmart is going to be keeping track of costs and profit margins very closely. Managers all across the company are carefully watching the reports.

Continue reading Is Inflation Here? Walmart Warns of Rising Prices

Is Inflation Here? Walmart Warns of Rising Prices originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Massive Quarter Despite a Slow Day (AGU, BRK-B, INTC, TSLA, URBN, WMT)

Closing Bell: Massive Quarter Despite a Slow Day (AGU, BRK-B, INTC, TSLA, URBN, WMT) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Red Hat (RHT) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Cogdell Spencer (CSA) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Micron (MU) to neutral from reduce at Nomura.
• El Paso Electric (EE) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• MICROS Systems (MCRS) and Harmony Gold (HMY) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Meridian Bioscience (VIVO) to buy from hold at Canaccord.
• Verso Paper (VRS) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Sony (SNE) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Noble Corp. (NE) and Baker Hughes (BHI) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Tyson Foods (TSN) and Smithfield Foods (SFD) to buy from hold at BB&T.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BAC, BHI, KKR, MU, NE, RHT, SNE, TSN, WMT ...

Analyst Calls: BAC, BHI, KKR, MU, NE, RHT, SNE, TSN, WMT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of retail giant Best Buy (BBY) traded higher Thursday morning after the company posted better-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter.

Going into the earnings report, analysts had been expecting to see Best Buy report earnings of $1.84 per share for the quarter. Best Buy topped estimates by posting earnings of $1.98 per share.

Continue reading Best Buy Tops Earnings Estimates but Revenues Disappoint

Best Buy Tops Earnings Estimates but Revenues Disappoint originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of Japan: A Special Report for Investors.

"Japan's tsunami has struck worldwide," says Richard Moroney, the editor of Dow Theory Forecasts, which has maintained a model portfolio of blue chip stocks for over 50 years.

Here, he reviews a number of the top buy recommendations in the newsletter's portfolios to determine the potential risk posed by the recent tragic developments in Japan.

Stocks cited as "Focus List Buys" are are those issues that the service expect to significantly outperform the market over the next 12 months.

Continue reading Japan: Dow Theory's Blue Chip Portfolio Review

Japan: Dow Theory's Blue Chip Portfolio Review originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) issued its fourth-quarter report today. The company was rocking this afternoon: with a little more than two hours to go before the close of the session, the stock was up 6% to $39.93. Earlier during the intraday session, a new 52-week high of $40.26 was achieved. It's good to get over that psychological round-number level, right?

The volume of shares traded so far is already in the spectacular range. The 52-week low for the stock is $24.02, so the current price is more than a comfortable distance away from that point. The one-year chart is attractive even if it doesn't plot a straight-up line.

Continue reading Dick's Sporting Goods Hits New 52-Week High

Dick's Sporting Goods Hits New 52-Week High originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Target (TGT) has not been a good stock at all since the turn of the year. Take a look at the twelve-month chart. Find where the shares were on Jan. 3. Got it? Now, do you see what happened since then? I don't think you can miss such a big drop.

The 52-week low for the retailer is $48.23; the 52-week high is $60.97. The equity finished down 0.7% to $51.30 on Monday. Volume, thankfully, was below average. That lack of conviction could be a saving grace.

Continue reading Target's Pullback: View It as a Trading Opportunity?

Target's Pullback: View It as a Trading Opportunity? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Walmart (WMT) made an announcement yesterday after the bell that presumably would have excited Wall Street. The company's quarterly dividend was raised by 21%. Very nice. So why are the shares off today?

To be fair, they were in positive territory earlier in the morning. Unfortunately, as I write this, with roughly three hours to go before the conclusion of the session, they are down 0.5% to $51.74. Perhaps they will be in the green by the end of the day. When you think about it, though, a 21% jump in a metric that is supposed to be friendly to investors should have received a lot more respect, correct?

Continue reading Walmart Boosts Dividend; Stock Falls

Walmart Boosts Dividend; Stock Falls originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What a difference a few months can make. Back in December, I was a bit bearish on Big Lots (BIG). That was at $29.50. Know what the stock closed at yesterday? Its final price was $41.33. And that's rather close to the 52-week high of $42.27.

To fully appreciate how dramatic the rise in the stock has been requires a look at the one-year chart. Impressive, isn't it? I guess I should have been a stronger believer in the retailer. So, what should I be thinking now?

Continue reading Big Lots Earnings: Should Investors Take Profits Now?

Big Lots Earnings: Should Investors Take Profits Now? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading U.S. Stock Futures Up as Investors Await Jobs Report

U.S. Stock Futures Up as Investors Await Jobs Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Walmart (WMT) is the world's largest retailer, competing with companies like Target (TGT), Costco (COST), Amazon.com (AMZN) and Best Buy (BBY). The company recently released its earnings for last quarter and we have updated our price estimate to $70.75, which implies a 30% premium to the market price.

One of the outcomes in the earnings was continued improvements in Sam's Club's results. Sam's Club is a warehouse club that charges a membership fee to its customers and gives them an opportunity to buy goods at lowest prices in the market. It offers bulk displays of brand name merchandise, including hard goods, some soft goods, commercial-sized grocery items, and selected private-label items under the "Member' Mark", "Bakers & Chefs" and "Sam's Club" brands in a warehouse club format.

Continue reading Sam's Club Could Perk Up Walmart Sales If It Was More Like Costco

Sam's Club Could Perk Up Walmart Sales If It Was More Like Costco originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Walmart (WMT) is the world's largest retailer, competing with companies like Target (TGT), Costco (COST), and Best Buy (BBY). Walmart's average revenue per square foot for its U.S. stores has been relatively stable in the past two years in the range of $428 to $434. We expect the revenue to increase slightly in the near term and stabilize thereafter.

With a wide assortment of product offerings to its target group of low-to-middle class U.S. consumer,s and by maintaining its pricing power over suppliers, we believe Walmart will be able to sustain its leadership in the retail industry. But the company's comparable store sales growth has been declining due to competition from discount stores and a change in consumer spending habits due to a weak economy -- all of which are impacting sales.

Continue reading Declining Sales Trend Puts Walmart on Back Foot

Declining Sales Trend Puts Walmart on Back Foot originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Retail giant Target Corp. (TGT) reported its fourth quarter results this morning, and a strong holiday shopping season helped boost profit by 11%.

The company reported earnings of $1.38 per share, slightly lower than the $1.40 that analysts had been expecting. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.24 per share.

Continue reading Target Trades Higher Following Fourth-Quarter Earnings

Target Trades Higher Following Fourth-Quarter Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) is certainly the biggest icon in the retail industry. It doesn't seem like such a big name today, though. With a few minutes left until the closing bell sounds, I see a quote of $53.64 for the stock, a price that represents a decline of over 3%. And the volume backing this move is very high, my friends.

The major indexes were volatile today, so that obviously played into the sell-off. However, the fourth-quarter report also gave investors some cause for concern. According to the press release, adjusted income from continuing businesses came in at $1.34 per share. This compares to an adjusted $1.21 per share in the year-ago period.

Continue reading Walmart's Q4 Report: Sell the Numbers?

Walmart's Q4 Report: Sell the Numbers? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: The Libya Effect (WMT, XOM, SIRI, GMCR, USO, GLD, EWI)

Closing Bell: The Libya Effect (WMT, XOM, SIRI, GMCR, USO, GLD, EWI) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading U.S. Stock Futures Down on Libya Unrest

U.S. Stock Futures Down on Libya Unrest originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Barnes & Noble, the Gap, RadioShack, and Sears -- that may sound like the lineup at the local mall, but in fact they are just a few of the retailers scheduled to step into the earnings spotlight this week. Following last week's disappointing January retail sales numbers from the Commerce Department but strong fourth-quarter reports from Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) and Nordstrom (JWN), the coming week will offer plenty more data on the sector for investors to mull over.

Walmart

Bentonville-based Walmart (WMT) offered free holiday shipping, closed its Moscow office and named a chief merchandising officer during its fourth quarter. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters forecast earnings for that period to come to $1.31 per share, up from $1.17 in the same quarter of last year. The world's largest retailer also is expected to post revenues of $117.7 billion for the three months that ended in January. That's 3.5% more than a year earlier.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Walmart, Home Depot and More Retail Earnings

Week in Preview: Walmart, Home Depot and More Retail Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 20 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Winn-Dixie Stores (WINN) issued results for its fiscal second quarter on Monday after the bell. Today, the supermarket chain, which counts Walmart (WMT) as a related stock, is receiving a bid; at the time of this writing, the shares were higher by 2.5% to $6.98. Volume is above average.

The 52-week low for the equity is $5.95 while the 52-week high is $13.90. The one-year chart is not pleasant. Such a downturn in fortune doesn't make the company appealing.

Continue reading Winn-Dixie's Q2 Report: Buy or Sell the Numbers?

Winn-Dixie's Q2 Report: Buy or Sell the Numbers? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc (WMT) is the world's largest retailer, competing with companies like Target (TGT), Costco (COST), Amazon (AMZN) and Best Buy (BBY). Our price estimate for Wal-Mart stands at $65.42, which implies a premium to market price.

Continue reading What Is the Potential Upside If Walmart Gains Ground on iTunes?

What Is the Potential Upside If Walmart Gains Ground on iTunes? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Lack of Catalysts (WMT, GENZ, SNY, LLNW, DELL, GLD, NYX)

Closing Bell: Lack of Catalysts (WMT, GENZ, SNY, LLNW, DELL, GLD, NYX) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.