http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06063017.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/30/2006
Shares of Stride Rite(NYSE: SRR) have traded up over the past couple of days, after releasing a favorable second-quarter earnings report on Tuesday. The company has had an uneven growth track record over the past few years; do recent results suggest that’s finally starting to change?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06063011.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/30/2006
It’s almost become a trend: The market keeps overlooking strong results at larger-cap growth stocks. Some have actually fallen because of concerns over shorter-term issues. Nike(NYSE: NKE) has been no exception, but it’s still worth considering for disciplined investors with greater patience and a longer investment time frame.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062906.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/29/2006
Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond(Nasdaq: BBBY) reached a new 52-week low this week, having drifted downward since the company released first-quarter earnings last Wednesday. What triggered the slump, and is now a good time to pick up some shares? Read the rest of this entry »
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062909.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/29/2006
Walgreen(NYSE: WAG) may be just the cure for any ailing portfolio, judging by its ability to churn out steady, double-digit earnings growth. This quarter was no exception, and the long-term prognosis calls for much of the same; the company continues to fire on all cylinders and keep the competition in check.
http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/2006/commentary06062923.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/29/2006
I just read through Robert’s bullish side of our Social Security Duel, and I think it was pretty tame for the most part. I’ve seen much worse, and have been called much worse, if you can believe it. Ryan “Let Old People Starve” Fuhrmann? Far from it! I’m just a forward-looking Fool worried that our government might step on the goose that lays the Social Security eggs if it doesn’t start planning for a future that will be much different from anything our country has ever experienced. As I detailed in my opening arguments, the baby boomers are an influential group whose sheer numbers could wreak havoc on the nation’s retirement safety net.
http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/2006/commentary06062921.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/29/2006
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law back in 1935. Since that time, Social Security has been an invaluable safety net for those who are unpleasantly surprised by how much they need to retire. It also helps those who have suffered an unfortunate financial mishap that may have snatched their nest egg away, just when they needed it most.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062603.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/26/2006
Shares of Build-a-Bear(NYSE: BBW) have been on a bit of a roller coaster ride since going public in October 2004. The shares debuted at near $25 and ran to more than $35 before settling to the current $22.51 (down over 10% as management reduced guidance on Friday). Is this just a blip on the radar screen as the company grows into a durable toy company like rival Hasbro(NYSE: HAS), or is this bear’s stuffing coming out?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062605.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/26/2006
Home Depot‘s (NYSE: HD) latest slogan is, “You can do it. We can help.” I think I can do it, but at this point, I’m not sure how much Home Depot can help me at its stores — or help my portfolio beat the market.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062609.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/26/2006
Much like the hot dice at a crowded craps table on a Saturday night, Isle of Capri‘s (Nasdaq: ISLE) strong earnings results caused a stir as market players bid up the stock to get in on the action. Can we count on Isle of Capri to keep its hot hand?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062614.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/26/2006
Rural hospital operator Health Management Associates(NYSE: HMA) hit a 52-week low today after it reduced guidance for the quarter and full year. Will HMA be able to recover to its fast-growing past, or is the stock price destined to flatline near $20 per share?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062315.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/23/2006
Shares of paint company Sherwin-Williams(NYSE: SHW) have been on my watch list for a while now. After recently reaching a 52-week high of $54, the stock has drifted back down to $46.21, or only about 13 times trailing earnings. The combo of a low multiple and a solid underlying business is usually the recipe for a juicy stock purchase. So what’s kept me from investing?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062321.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/23/2006
Investors that chose Jabil Circuit(NYSE: JBL) as their top pick in the Electronic Manufacturing Service (EMS) should pat themselves on the back; the company has been the best performer over the past five years, even after considering the cliff it fell off from when it reduced guidance earlier this month. Only shares of Plexus(Nasdaq: PLXS) have performed better over the past couple of years. So what’s the best pick going forward?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062316.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/23/2006
Shares of the largest global fast-food restaurant chain, Yum! Brands(NYSE: YUM), have had a great run since being completely spun off from Pepsi(NYSE: PEP) back in January 1997. They fell slightly after the company reported preliminary second-quarter sales results yesterday and stood at a recent $50.45. Should the shares be placed on a Fool’s value menu?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062106.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/21/2006
It seems that Nike(NYSE: NKE) likes to play as hard as the athletes who wear its sporting gear. The company has had an extremely busy year, and it’s only June.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062122.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/21/2006
While reviewing Adobe‘s (Nasdaq: ADBE) latest quarter, I was surprised to find that 30% of the software companies in my portfolio no longer exist. We mostly have Oracle to thank for absorbing the likes of PeopleSoft and Siebel Systems; its buying spree may not be finished yet, since it’s rumored that Larry Ellison’s software juggernaut has previously shown interest in BEA Systems(Nasdaq: BEAS). Symantec(NYSE: SYMC) recently snapped up Veritas, while Adobe itself just completed its acquisition of Macromedia. What’s with all the acquisitions — and is Adobe the next juicy target?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062118.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/21/2006
Storage-device and software company EMC(NYSE: EMC) isn’t making high-profile acquisitions the way software firm Oracle(Nasdaq: ORCL) has, but it has been an active consolidator, especially in the privately held space. Tim Beyers recently detailed the company’s purchase of private company nLayers — a move that he considered a significant development.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062005.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/20/2006
Wondering why publisher Dow Jones(NYSE: DJ) recently bounced off its lows for the year? Credit the press release management issued on Friday, stating that advertising revenue at its flagship publication, The Wall Street Journal, increased 10.1% for the month of May. Better yet, the release revealed that Dow Jones expects to meet analysts’ expectations and its own guidance with second-quarter earnings in the “low-to-mid 30-cents-per-share range,” before a minor restructuring charge. After years of fading fortunes, is the publisher finally back on an upswing?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06062015.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/20/2006
Shares of Illinois Tool Works(NYSE: ITW) have had a good run over the past year. Since roughly the beginning of 2004, they had been stuck in the low-$40 range, but all of a sudden they took off in March and reached a high of $53.54 in early May before settling down at a recent $47.43 and a trailing P/E of 17.5. Should investors expect further gains ahead?
http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/2006/commentary06061905.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/19/2006
Since I’m always on the hunt for bargain basement stocks, I recently took a peek at RadioShack(NYSE: RSH), which is currently trading for under 10 times earnings. I can’t remember the last time I visited a RadioShack store, but according to the company there is one within five minutes of nearly every consumer in the U.S.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06061602.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/16/2006
Teleflex(NYSE: TFX) is sometimes referred to as a poor man’s United Technologies(NYSE: UTX) or General Electric(NYSE: GE). All are considered conglomerates and operate in industrial product markets, but Teleflex is a puny little girly man compared with the other two giants in terms of market capitalization. Its market cap is about $2 billion, while United Tech’s is $61 billion and GE’s is $354 billion. Plus, the two behemoths are both members of the almighty Dow Jones.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06061613.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/16/2006
Shares of Carnival(NYSE: CCL) sunk to a new 52-week low on Monday, partially due to the undertow of a volatile overall market. Industry turbulence has driven Carnival’s shares down about 30% year to date, but the stock has already recovered a bit from recent lows. Though results remain tepid, Carnival is still a solid long-term hold for patient investors.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06061620.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/16/2006
Over the past year, shares of Steve Madden(Nasdaq: SHOO) have marched steadily up from about $10 to $37.17. The near four-bagger performance can be attributed to a continued relief rally that started in 2005, after founder Steve Madden returned to the company following a disastrous 2004. Following a peak in May, the shares recently returned to Earth, trading near $25 last Tuesday. Analysts quickly noticed the dip, but was the pullback really enough to warrant investment consideration?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06061611.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/16/2006
Shares of Benihana(Nasdaq: BNHN) have been on a roller coaster ride over the past month –bottoming out with a pessimistic forecast for Wall Street and rising again when the company posted its real numbers.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06061517.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/15/2006
Casey’s just hit one out of the park.
http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/2006/commentary06061513.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/15/2006
If you recall the movie Back to the Future, nutty professor Dr. Emmett Brown, a.k.a. “Doc,” created a time machine capable of driving back and forth in time. During one of his trips back to the future, Doc invented an automotive fuel source capable of blending and transforming fruits and veggies from a Cuisinart into a petrol equivalent. According to Doc, “The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” He was probably talking more about the DeLorean sports car body, but the Cuisinart was definitely a classy feature.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06061521.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/15/2006
It’s commonly stated that the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. Since we all must inevitably merge with the infinite, Tuesday’s Foolish headlines included a number of insightful estate planning tips and overview of related trusts. It’s good to know the basics, but if you’re like most people, you’d prefer to pay an outside party to work through the details. The same can be said of those dreaded annual tax filings, which brings us to the very profitable tax preparing business that has a number of other appealing investment characteristics and only a few key players. One such player is Jackson Hewitt(NYSE: JTX), which was spun off from Cendant(NYSE: CD) in June 2004. The shares have had a nice run, having nearly doubled from $17 to a current $30.80, but now they’re about 10% off their recent highs. Here’s why the stock may be worth a look.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06061414.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/14/2006
KrispyKreme Doughnuts(NYSE: KKD) customers and investors alike might want to ask Krispy Kreme to supply some Alka-Seltzer with each doughnut or share purchased. That’s because Krispy Kreme, whether it’s its delicious but fatty doughnuts or its inability to stem a serious sales slide and file timely financial statements, can cause indigestion. Let’s not even talk about what the stock price has done as a result. To date, company turnaround efforts have been akin to the way Alka-Seltzer deals with indigestion: a temporary relief of the symptoms rather than a cure for past excess, be it overeating or reckless growth.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06061317.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/13/2006
Cardinal Health(NYSE: CAH) has been through a tumultuous couple of years but seems to have weathered company-specific and industry storms. Overall, Cardinal appears to have recovered to its former healthy self and, after the market close yesterday, set the bar high by announcing a number of aggressive financial goals while also offering fiscal 2007 guidance.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06061212.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/12/2006
H&R Block(NYSE: HRB) investors are now in an investment time warp, with a chance to snap up the company’s shares for their January 2002 price of $23.50. Before we determine whether the stock is a buy, let’s look at the current issues surrounding it, to see what the future holds for the leading provider of tax, financial, mortgage, accounting, and business services.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060916.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/09/2006
Is a turnaround taking place at Sharper Image(Nasdaq: SHRP), which has been plagued by plummeting sales at its 190 domestic stores? Judging by the stock performance from January to April of this year, it sure looked like it, but the stock has drifted back down from its 52-week high of $16.21 to a recent $12.04. Recent results suggest that things remain rather grim.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060924.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/09/2006
Cascade(NYSE: CAE) is a small-cap player in a pretty boring industry — manufacturing load-handling products for forklifts and other industrial trucks. You may not care how the company can handle lifting items, either with or without pallets. But Foolish investors might be more interested to learn that the stock has been close to a four-bagger in the past five years.
http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/2006/commentary06060919.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/09/2006
Within the average company, there are two kinds of investors: those who hold its stock, and those who hold its debt. But many Foolish investors may not realize that these two factions don’t always get along. Stockholders want the company to invest in growing its business, increasing its intrinsic value. Bondholders would rather see that money spent to repay the money they originally lent the company, and the interest it has accrued. The latest developments at Heinz(NYSE: HNZ) are an ideal example of this perpetual struggle.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060812.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/08/2006
Investors may have heard of Cherokee(Nasdaq: CHKE) lately, thanks to its well-publicized pursuit of fellow apparel licensor Mossimo(Nasdaq: MOSS). It ceded that fight to fellow suitor Iconix Brands(Nasdaq: ICON), but is it still a good investment? Things look interesting to me. Here’s why.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060807.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/08/2006
Sara Lee(NYSE: SLE), mother of all snack foods, and Tupperware(NYSE: TUP), the kitchen organizer’s dream, have some unexpected similarities. Both have above-average dividend yields and strong cash flows, and both represent the problem children in any investor’s growth portfolio. Each company’s core operations have been spinning their wheels since the mid-1990s, as the companies attempt to cut costs and revive stagnant sales. In this case, consistency isn’t exactly a good thing — but for income investors, it offers one surprising benefit.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060705.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/07/2006
Just like its imaginary CEO mascot, Jack, Jack in the Box(NYSE: JBX) shareholders have sported a permanent smile as they’ve watched their company outperform the market over the past five years. But the market has begun to catch up over the last 12-month period, and competitors are always dreaming up new menu items to grab customers. So should investors demand that the company float a piece of its successful Qdoba Mexican Grills — since other restaurant chains have been partially jettisoning their own secondary concepts?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060604.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/06/2006
Yesterday, Walgreen(NYSE: WAG) took a small page out of archrival CVS‘s (NYSE: CVS) playbook by announcing its purchase of the Happy Harry’s pharmacy chain, based in Delaware. Is it just another smart acquisition, or a sign that growth for the pharmacy chain is increasingly difficult to come by?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060621.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/06/2006
Executive recruiter Korn/Ferry International(NYSE: KFY) just reported its second straight year of record results. The company excels when the economy is in full swing, as strong employment trends lead to new jobs and employees seek higher-paying jobs. But as I recently discovered, results also tend to remain surprisingly steady from a free cash flow perspective.
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060513.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/05/2006
Bakers Footwear(Nasdaq: BKRS) has had a rough run so far this year. The shares rose by 41% since the company’s IPO at $9 in February 2004, but traded at an all-time high of $23 just earlier this year. They reached their current low levels — $12.67 after Monday’s market close — after the company issued weak first-quarter results late last week. Question is, does this represent a buying opportunity?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060517.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/05/2006
I recently lived in Dallas, home to the most individuals with a black belt in shopping, to borrow a phrase from Peter Lynch. So it’s no surprise that at nearly every corner, I noticed some type of big-box home appliance and consumer electronics retailer, including Best Buy(NYSE: BBY), CircuitCity(NYSE: CC), and Beaumont, Texas-based Conn‘s(Nasdaq: CONN). The former two have had their fair share of investment appeal over time, but what about lesser-known Conn’s?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060208.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/02/2006
Retailer Dress Barn(Nasdaq: DBRN) is currently enjoying red-hot performance. The company just reported its ninth straight quarter of increased same-store sales, and its stock has nearly tripled over the past year. It’s up 35% year to date, accounting for a 2-for-1 stock split in early April. Should investors expect more of the same?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060217.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/02/2006
The daily headline trail for Home Depot(NYSE: HD) is beginning to rival that of any high-profile Hollywood breakup. Deceit! Betrayal! Will management and shareholders ever be able to face each other again?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060117.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/01/2006
Did Bon-Ton Stores(Nasdaq: BONT) bite off more than it could chew by buying a chunk of stores nearly twice its size? The market doesn’t seem to think so lately; the stock is up almost 40% year to date. Yesterday’s results covered Bon-Ton’s first quarter as a combined company, and shares jumped more than 8% to close at $26.42. Was this justified?
http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2006/mft06060126.htm
By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA
06/01/2006
Brown-Forman(NYSE: BF-B)(NYSE: BF-A), best known for its Jack Daniel’s whiskey, continues to occupy the sweet spot of consumers’ shift away from beer and toward premium alcohol and spirits. Indeed, king of beers Anheuser-Busch‘s (NYSE: BUD) opening paragraph in its annual letter to its shareholders conceded that hard liquor and wine are gaining market share, to the detriment of its frosty brew. Though Brown-Forman and other spirits companies are currently the primary beneficiaries of this trend, Jack Daniel’s has been growing robustly for at least the past decade, this year included.
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