Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores’ (Nasdaq:CBRL) focus on “real home-style food and shopping that’s surprisingly unique” has allowed store traffic trends to remain strong during a very challenging period in the casual dining industry due to high unemployment and a weak domestic economy. Currently, industry conditions are improving, as are Cracker Barrel’s fortunes and profit outlook. 

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Retail giant Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) reported fourth-quarter and full-year results on Thursday that were impressive given the large sales base that the company must grow from. U.S. trends are moderating to indicate that consumers may be starting to return to more expensive shopping tastes, but international expansion remains strong and should continue to be the company’s growth engine. (Learn to pick out your investments on your next trip to the mall in our related article Analyzing Retail Stocks.)

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Conventional wisdom holds that investors must look to emerging markets for healthy returns over the coming decades. BRIC markets, including Brazil, Russia, India, and China, are frequently mentioned as holding the most potential given projections for rapid and steady economic growth. However, GDP growth is not necessarily a solid indicator of stock market gains to come. We’ll discuss the relationship between the two and look at other useful metrics to consider when hunting for overseas investment opportunities. (For a background on this topic, see our Economic Indicators Tutorial.)

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Posted: Feb 23, 2010 09:01 AM by Ryan C. Fuhrmann

Diversified technology titan Hewlett-Packard’s (NYSE:HPQ) first-quarter results demonstrated that management is performing well in a challenging operating environment. The company’s increased guidance indicates the wind may be at its back as global growth trends improve. The positive for investors is the current stock may not be fully discounting this upside potential.   

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Posted: Feb 18, 2010 09:04 AM by Ryan C. Fuhrmann

Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq:WFMI) reported first-quarter earnings on Tuesday that confirmed its business is seeing a recovery as consumers start to allocate a higher percentage of their paychecks to the grocery chain. However, at current levels the stock price is well ahead of the underlying business fundamentals and makes a number of rivals more interesting investment candidates. (For more on analyzing companies in this sector, be sure to read our related article Analyzing Retail Stocks.)  

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Property and casualty insurance giant Allstate (NYSE: ALL) finished another difficult year when it reported fourth-quarter and full-year results last week. Fortunately for investors, the challenges were less severe than in 2008, but the company has some way to go to improve growth at its flagship insurance operations. (Learn more about insurance industry history; see The History Of Insurance In America).

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Branded lifestyle apparel firm VF Corp (NYSE: VFC), best known for its Wrangler, North Face and 7 For All Mankind trade names in addition to several other brands, reported fourth quarter results February 11 that handily beat analyst projections. Despite unappealing sales prospects, steady profits and dividends should appeal to more conservative investors.

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Posted: Feb 11, 2010 08:37 AM by Ryan C. Fuhrmann

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) put the finishing touches on another year of impressive profitability on Thursday, which came despite severe global economic turmoil and modest sales trends. Look for more of the same from this Blue Chip going forward. (Huge companies may not be as infallible as previously assumed. Find out why bigger isn’t always better. See Conglomerates: Cash Cows Or Corporate Chaos?)

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Posted: Feb 10, 2010 11:12 AM by Ryan C. Fuhrmann

CVS Caremark (NYSE:CVS) rode an unexpected improvement in its pharmacy benefit management (PBM) business to better-than-expected earnings growth during its fiscal fourth quarter. However, the jury is still out as to whether the addition of Caremark to the retail drug business was a good use of shareholder capital.

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Posted: Feb 08, 2010 07:48 AM by Ryan C. Fuhrmann

Cleaning and consumer products firm Clorox (NYSE:CLX) reported second quarter results on Thursday. The results illustrated why it has an advantage over the competition. The companies strong sales and expense management are combining to boost profit growth that should continue for the foreseeable future.

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Posted: Feb 04, 2010 10:41 AM by Ryan C. Fuhrmann

Life insurance and financial services provider MetLife (NYSE:MET) reported fourth-quarter financial results on Wednesday. These results demonstrated that the company’s hefty investment losses, which were brought on as a result of volatile credit markets, are beginning to subside. The potential purchase of a major division from an archrival could also boost the firm’s recovery potential.
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Posted: Feb 02, 2010 09:20 AM by Ryan C. Fuhrmann

Shares of diversified industrial goods and service provider Honeywell (NYSE:HON) traded down after an unexciting earnings release late last week. Sales and profits are likely to continue to struggle for the coming year, but most of the downside is already priced into the stock and ignores the firm’s impressive cash flow generation abilities.
 
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Posted: Feb 02, 2010 08:57 AM by Ryan C. Fuhrmann

Infant Formula maker Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE:MJN), which was spun of from Bristol Myers (NYSE:BMY) in February 2009, is preparing for its first full year as an independent firm. At the current valuation and with analysts’ eyes watching, the market isn’t leaving much room for error. (Calculate whether the market is paying too much for a particular stock. Check out DCF Valuation: The Stock Market Sanity Check.)

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