Mar
31
March 31, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Payroll processor Paychex (Nasdaq:PAYX) boasts 18 straight years of record revenues, net income and EPS expansion, according to the company’s website. Recent guidance indicates that the upcoming year-end will provide another record in terms of revenue, but the bottom line will contract in the single digits. This isn’t that surprising, given that Paychex specializes in serving small businesses that are suffering through a major recession. Despite this, the company remains very appealing for patient investors. Read on to find out why.
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Mar
30
March 30, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
On March 26, electronics giant Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) reported promising financial results, suggesting that consumers are returning to its aisles. The demise of Circuit City has allowed Best Buy to pick up market share and leaves it more than 33 times the size of publicly-traded and more regional rivals hhgregg (NYSE:HGG) and Conn’s (Nasdaq:CONN). Unfortunately, investors may be getting ahead of themselves, as earnings growth still appears to be a ways off.
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Mar
24
Posted on 24-03-2009
Filed Under (Uncategorized) by ryan
March 24, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) reported results on March 18 that turned out be much better than investors were expecting. The coast is still not clear when it comes to concerns that consumers have stopped eating out, but it is arguable that Darden is a bellwether in the casual dining industry. It is the largest player in the space, has a broad concept mix and geographic diversity across the U.S. and Canada. If you’re hungry for some restaurant stocks, there will be much room for improvement in this industry once more tangible signs of economic growth emerge.
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Mar
19
March 19, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) bills itself as a provider of financial information systems for the “global investment community”. It’s no secret that this community has been ravaged by one of the most precipitous stock market collapses in modern times, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at FactSet’s business trends. On March 18 it reported second-quarter results that were stellar by nearly every measurable aspect.
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Mar
16
March 16, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
On Wednesday, eBay (Nasdaq:EBAY) held its 2009 analyst day in which it outlined a “three-year road map for growth”. The biggest news to come out of the meeting includes a concession that eBay is not ideally positioned to compete head on with the likes of Amazon.com (Nasdaq:AMZN) in e-commerce. Additionally, PayPal continues to grow in influence at the company. eBay also issued a financial outlook through 2011. Let’s take a look at what this means for investors over the next couple of years.
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Mar
13
March 13, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
The big news in the retail office supply industry so far this week was Office Depot’s (NYSE:ODP) soaring share price, which is up about 75% over the past two days since it reported results that weren’t as dire as analysts were expecting. This sounds impressive until one realizes the stock started its ascent at $0.59, or about the price of one Bic pen.
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Mar
13
March 13, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
National grocery chain Kroger (NYSE:KR) makes a living offering consumers a convenient and affordable array of food products. Recent market malaise makes it an appealing play for a number of investment types, as it offers a balanced variety of growth, value and income in an increasingly uneven stock market environment.
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Mar
12
March 12, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Brown-Forman (NYSE:BF.B) (NYSE:BF.A) produces and markets a handful of upscale alcoholic brands, including Jack Daniel’s whiskey, Finlandia vodka and Tequila Herradura. This upscale focus was lucrative in a strong economy as consumer tastes moved to higher-end spirits, but recent results suggest consumers are beginning to trade down. It’s unknown whether this trend will continue, and how it will impact Brown-Forman.
Mar
11
March 11, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
It’s still early in 2009, but the Chinese stock market already has returned close to 25%. In stark contrast, the U.S. market is down nearly 25%, with the vast majority of global indexes also deep in negative territory. Although this initial bullishness may soon grow victim to global economic uncertainty and subsequent financial volatility, interest in investing in China is still in its infancy and should see explosive growth over the long haul.
Mar
06
Posted on 06-03-2009
Filed Under (Uncategorized) by ryan
March 06, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Even when the economy is firing on all cylinders, investing in specialty retailing firms can be hit or miss. That’s because consumers are fickle. Firms like Gap (NYSE:GPS) and Tween Brands (NYSE:TWB) can fully attest to consumers’ changeable whims, as it has been some time since either company has fully connected with its target market. On the other hand, Urban Outfitters (Nasdaq:URBN) has consistently found a way to stay popular, and although recent trends in this company’s stock seem discouraging, the long-term picture looks as stylish as ever.
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Mar
06
March 06, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
In similar fashion to many retailers, discount warehouse titan Costco (Nasdaq:COST) cut prices to move product in its most recent quarter. The fact that a discount chain felt the need to be more promotional speaks to just how difficult the operating environment is these days. Falling gasoline prices also took a bite out of margins this quarter, while a strong U.S. dollar crimped overseas results. Fortunately for investors, these challenges will prove to be short-lived, with the wild card being how quickly or slowly consumers open up their wallets again.
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Mar
04
Posted on 04-03-2009
Filed Under (Uncategorized) by ryan
March 04, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Last Saturday marked the official release of one of 2008′s best business courses – Berkshire Hathaway’s (NYSE:BRK.A) (NYSE:BRK.B) annual shareholder letter. The education is free, as the shareholder letter became available on the company’s website, but the year proved costly for shareholders as class A shares fell some 30% to end the year at $96,600. However, Berkshire Hathaway’s shares did exceed the market’s return, which fell 37% during the calendar year.
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Mar
02
March 02, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Teleflex (NYSE:TFX) operates in three primary business segments: medical, aerospace and commercial. On Wednesday it announced 2008 results that saw revenue grow to $2.4 billion, primarily due to an acquisition that brought timely exposure to the stable medical industry. Its market capitalization also hovers around $2 billion, placing the company firmly in the mid-cap category – conditions that make it significantly smaller than many of its competitors. But this hasn’t stopped Teleflex from outperforming its diversified industrial peers.
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Mar
02
March 02, 2009 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Apparel retailers have been some of the biggest casualties of a down economy as consumers pinch pennies in response to rising unemployment and falling 401(k) values. Gap (NYSE:GPS) shares have not gone unscathed in this environment and are down about 40% over the past two years. However, this is slightly ahead of what the market has returned over this time period and is significantly better than many peers. Better yet, Gap has significant upside potential from here.
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