Back in May, I told you that Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE:FL) is a company that I have long been a customer of, but have never really considered as an investment. However, I told you there was rare opportunity in the stock to get long. Since then shares are up 35%. I hope you took my advice because the stock has been on an incredible run since then, but I think there is a lot more room to run. Remember I bought because the stock hit a new 52-week low. However, it was yielding over 2% and trading at just 13.5 times current earnings. The kicker for me was that the growth of the company outpaced the trading multiple. It was doing things right as a company. I liked the fact that the company was known for managing its properties well in the last few years, maximizing efficiencies. Further, it was cheaper than its peers. The fact is, it remains a much better play on a valuation basis than its peers and isn't facing the same struggles as some competitors.
This is evidenced in the just reported quarter. In Q3, the company continued its efficiencies. Foot Locker opened 21 new stores, remodeled or relocated 40 stores and closed 28 stores. As of October 29, 2016, the company operated 3,394 stores in 23 countries in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. In addition, 56 franchised Foot Locker stores were operating in the Middle East and South Korea, as well as 15 franchised Runners Point stores in Germany. While this tight management of property is a key plus, is the company actually delivering results?
Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2017: Rent-A-Center Inc.(RCII)
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Rent-A-Center Inc (NASDAQ: RCII) was down, falling around 26 percent to $9.88. Rent-A-Center reported upbeat quarterly earnings, but the company's sales missed analysts' estimates.
Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2017: Emerson Electric Company(EMR)
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Lower WACC has moved in lockstep with higher multiples and as the rate regime shifts, we see limited excuses for another leg absent material growth. EPS growth/visibility at a reasonable price will matter, with those that are not reflecting upside today seeing multiple expansion and safety stocks that are not safe reverting. With this backdrop, our top picks are Honeywell, Ingersoll-Rand, and Danaher, with a positive bias on Neutral-rated United Technologies, while we are most negative on�General Electric and Rockwell Automation (ROK), with a negative bias on N-rated $51.92 Emerson Electric (EMR)…
- [By Rising Dividend Investing]
Pent Up Demand Pushing Cyclical Stocks
We are coming out of a lengthy period of decreased spending in the wake of 2008-09, which has built pent up demand for automobiles, housing and capital expenditures. The average age of vehicles on the road has reached a record high of 11.4 years. Demand for new houses fell off dramatically since the Great Recession. The average U.S. home was built in 1974 and continues to age.
As people have chosen to fix rather than replace their vehicles and homes, we’ve seen the replacement-type industries do very well. Auto Retail’s second quarter sales and earnings per share were up 14.7% and 18.6%, respectively. Home improvement retail grew sales nearly 10% with earnings up 20% from second quarter 2012.
Adding to the pent up demand for housing is the number of young people living with their parents rather than buying or renting on their own. According to real-estate marketplace Trulia, the number of “missing households” (Americans who would currently be owning or renting a home if pre-recession economic trends had continued) was up to 2.4 million in March. More than half of these missing households are 18 to 34-year-olds.
This pent up demand extends beyond just the immediate products being bought by consumers. Businesses have held off replacing durable goods since the recession. All of this excess demand will have to be released at some point. Eventually, these homes and vehicles will exceed their useful life and need to be replaced. To meet the need for the excess demand, companies will not be able to hold off re-investing in new plant equipment.
We’ve seen the beginning of this demand in 2013 and believe there is more to come. The market is buying into this as well, as more growth and manufacturing oriented sectors – such as Consumer Discretionary and Industrials – have performed well over the near-term.
Share prices for stocks in the Industrial sectors are mo - [By Ben Levisohn]
3) Other downside catalysts have come and gone, such as�Emerson Electric (EMR) effectively ruling out a�Rockwell deal;
4) However, our view that the upward trajectory in customer capex spending remains muted combined with the stock still trading at >19x NTM EPS limits our upgrade to just Market-Perform despite our long-term bullish view of industrial automation in general and Rockwell specifically
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Industrial companies like Dover (DOV), Emerson Electric (EMR), Eaton (ETN), 3M (MMM) and Rockwell Automation (ROK) are calling for earnings growth to get better during the second half of the year. Bernstein’s Steven Winoker and team aren’t feeling as confident:
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Bernstein’s Steven Winoker and team contend that Brexit is “bad for all our companies �� it is just a matter of degree.”� They explain why Tyco International (TYC), Idex (IEX), Danaher (DHR),�Honeywell International (HON) and Emerson Electric (EMR) could feel some degree of pain:
Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2017: Kohl's Corporation(KSS)
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Cituigroup’s Kate McShane and Corinna Van der Ghinst explain why they’re still bullish on Under Armour (UA) despite fears that its deal with Kohl’s (KSS) could result in slower growth:
- [By Paul Ausick]
Rounding out the top 10 in terms of total installed solar PV capacity are Prologis Inc. (NYSE: PLD) with 108 MWs of installed capacity, Apple Inc.(NASDAQ: AAPL with 94 MWs, Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) with 51 MWs, Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS) with 50 MWs, IKEA with 44 MWs, Macy’s Incl. (NYSE: M) with 39 MWs, General Growth Properties Inc. (NYSE: GGP) with 30 MWs, and tied with 23 MWs, Hartz Mountain and Bed, Bath and Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY).
- [By Paul Ausick]
BFAds.net also pulled out some specific deals on offer for Cyber Monday:
Target Inc. (NYSE: TGT): 15% off nearly everything online and in stores on both Sunday and Monday Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS): 20% off in-store and online from Nov. 27-30 with code DEALSEEKER Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M): $50 off Samsung Gear S3 and Gear S2 Smart Watches Wal-Mart: Samsung HDTVs over 50% off MSRP Amazon: Amazon Echo for $139.99, a savings of $40Most online retailers will have Cyber Monday deals. Some, including Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY), are promoting the deals generally without preview promotion. Its�Cyber Monday deals will begin on Sunday and many of them will also be available in brick-and-mortar stores.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
There’s been a lot of hand wringing about the dismal performance of department stores like Kohl’s (KSS), Macy’s (M), TJX Cos. (TJX), and Sears Holdings (SHLD) and what it says about the state of consumer spending. Yardeni Research’s Ed Yardeni argues that U.S. consumers are shopping, but that “Amazon (AMZN) is taking all the fun, and some of the profits, out of retailing…” He explains:
Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2017: Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc.(WEN)
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
Wendys Co (NASDAQ: WEN) is expected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $352.08 million.
Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $0.14 per share on revenue of $663.74 million.
- [By Michael Flannelly]
KeyBanc analysts upgraded fast food restaurant operator The Wendy’s Co (WEN) on Friday, noting that the company has a number of positive developments that could provide a floor for the stock.
The analysts upgraded WEN from “Underweight” to “Hold.”
KeyBanc analyst Christopher O’Cull said, “We are raising our rating for The Wendy’s Company to HOLD as we believe: 1) Wendy’s SRS performance will diverge from the industry for the foreseeable future as new products are supported by more effective use of marketing dollars; 2) better menu and promotional management will lead to improved franchisee profitability (a focus of the new CFO Todd Penegor); and 3) the opportunity to extend the re-franchising program will provide a floor on the stock.”
Wendy’s shares were up 7 cents, or 0.81%, during pre-market trading on Friday. The stock is up 57.01% year-to-date.
- [By Jim Jubak, Senior Markets Editor, MoneyShow.com]
It's hard for any company to raise prices in the current non-inflationary environment. But it's especially hard right now for operators of fast food restaurants, given the intense price competition in a very crowded marketplace. McDonald's sales growth in recent quarters has been driven by the success of its Dollar Menu, so raising prices in that segment are a big deal for the company. In addition, pushback from franchisees who say they can't afford to refurbish their stores, given higher charges from McDonald's hits at one of McDonald's key advantages in its market—it's ability to refresh stores more frequently than competitors. A McDonald's refresh at $600,000 on average, according to the company, costs substantially more than a remodel at Burger King (BKW) at $300,000 or Wendy's (WEN) at $375,000 for the least expensive version. McDonald's restaurants average $2.5 million in annual sales.
- [By Michael Flannelly]
Argus Research upgraded fast food restaurant operator The Wendy’s Co (WEN) on Thursday, noting that the company’s store remodeling and new menus should help drive higher sales.
The analysts upgraded WEN from “Hold” to “Buy” and see shares reaching $10. This price target suggests a 21% upside to the stock’s Wednesday closing price of $8.25.
Wendy’s shares were up 24 cents, or 2.91%, during early morning trading on Thursday. The stock is up 54.19% year-to-date.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Upgrades had a big impact on stocks today. Wendy’s (WEN), for instance, gained 4.5% to $8.62 after being upgraded to Buy at Argus, while Cash America (CSH) advanced 3.7% to $44.32 after being upgraded to Market Outperform from Market Perform at JMP Securities. Walgreen (WAG) proved the big winner in the S&P 500 after�Goldman Sachs called the stock a Conviction Buy.
- [By Monica Gerson]
Analysts expect Wendys Co (NASDAQ: WEN) to report its quarterly earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $352.08 million. Wendys shares rose 1.79 percent to $11.38 in after-hours trading.
Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2017: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Netflix tumbled 13% to $94.34 after gaining far fewer overseas subscribers than it had forecast. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was able to offset International Business Machines’ (IBM) 5.7% drop to $143.98 with gains from Goldman Sachs (GS), which gained 2.5% to $162.71, UnitedHealth Group (UNH), which rose 2.1% to $130.50, and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), which advanced 1.6% to $112.67. IBM was hit by disappointing guidance, while Goldman Sachs shrugged off a low quality beat, Johnson & Johnson lifted guidance, and UnitedHealth easily topped earnings forecasts.
- [By Jack Foley]
The core issue for Intel is whether it can replace its PC derived income growth with growth from its Data center�segment. Many tech companies like Intel are in a transition at present, but Intel's advantage here is that at least it is reporting top line growth unlike other tech companies such as International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM). Intel, in my opinion, will continue to grow meaningfully in telecom and the Cloud segments, but its most recent guidance probably points to declines in the Client Computing Group (CCG)�next quarter. Weak PC demand is the cause for this. Furthermore, weak server demand is another issue in the Data center segment that has brought down expected growth rates in this segment to single figures for 2016. Nevertheless, Cloud sales to service providers are much more robust and grew by 32%, which resulted in the Data center division�growing�10% year-over-year with $4.5 billion in revenue for the last quarter.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Berkshire’s QTD returns primarily reflected outperformance in technology and financials (International Business Machines (IBM), Moody’s (MCO), U.S. Bancorp (USB), and American Express (AXP)), partly offset by underperformance within energy, healthcare, and consumer-nondurables (Phillips 66 (PSX), Coca-Cola (KO), and DaVita HealthCare Partners (DVA)).
