Best Retail Stocks To Own For 2014

When last we saw our heroes, the cold, long winter had stretched into early spring, and everyone was suffering. Comparable sales got hammered by the weather, and consumers everywhere longed for light skirts and new spring colors. Well, break out the grill: Spring has finally sprung!

Earlier this morning, The�Buckle (NYSE: BKE  ) , Costco (NASDAQ: COST  ) , and L Brands (NYSE: LTD  ) reported May sales, and everyone did better. That's not to say that the market loved the results, but investors may be breathing a sigh of relief nevertheless. The range for the three retailers was fairly tight, but there are still some ups and downs for investors to keep in mind.

Buckle pushes the boat out �
Denim retailer Buckle increased comparable sales by 4.1% in May, while net sales grew 4.2%. The increase in comparable sales is excellent news for shareholders -- this guy, for instance -- as sales had been slow to push out of the winter doldrums.

Best Supermarket Companies To Watch In Right Now: Kohl's Corporation(KSS)

Kohl?s Corporation operates department stores in the United States. The company?s stores offer private and exclusive, as well as national branded apparel, footwear, and accessories for women, men, and children; soft home products, such as sheets and pillows; and housewares primarily to middle-income customers. As of January 29, 2011, it operated 1,089 stores in 49 states. The company also offers on-line shopping on its Web site at Kohls.com. Kohl?s Corporation was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), Macy�� Inc. (NYSE: M), Kohl�� Corp. (NYSE: KSS), and Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) have all already reported poor quarterly results that barely met expectations in most cases. There�� no reason to expect anything substantially different this week, except perhaps from Home Depot, which has history of being cautious with its estimates.

Best Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: Target Corporation(TGT)

Target Corporation operates general merchandise stores in the United States. The company offers household essentials, including pharmacy, beauty, personal care, baby care, cleaning, and paper products; hardlines comprising music, movies, books, computer software, sporting goods, and toys, as well as electronics that comprise video game hardware and software; apparel and accessories consisting of apparel for women, men, boys, girls, toddlers, infants, and newborns; and intimate apparel, jewelry, accessories, and shoes. It also provides food and pet supplies, including dry grocery, dairy, frozen food, beverages, candy, snacks, deli, bakery, meat, produce, and pet supplies; and home furnishings and d�or, such as furniture, lighting, kitchenware, small appliances, home d�or, bed and bath, home improvement, and automotive products, as well as seasonal merchandise, which include patio furniture and holiday d�or. The company sells its merchandise products under private-labe l and exclusive licensed brands. In addition, it provides in-store amenities. As of January 28, 2012, Target Corporation operated 1,763 stores in 49 states and the District of Columbia under Target and SuperTarget names. Further, it offers general merchandise through its Website, Target.com. The company distributes its merchandise through a network of distribution centers, as well as third parties and direct shipping from vendors. Additionally, it offers credit to guests through its branded proprietary credit cards, the Target Visa Credit Card and the Target Credit Card, as well as through its branded proprietary Target Debit Card. Target Corporation was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Can Best Buy offer something different?
  As a consumer, the question I have is: Why should I go to Best Buy? I buy music and movies online and I'm at Target (NYSE: TGT  ) regularly where I can pick up random electronics or even a TV. Amazon fills most specialized needs and appliances aren't frequent purchases for me or most people. So, why would I go to Best Buy?

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Dollar General (NYSE: DG  ) shares took a 9% hit the day it reported uninspiring quarterly results last week. The deep discounter lowered its guidance for the balance of the fiscal year. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT  ) and Target (NYSE: TGT  ) disappointed investors last month, surprising the market with negative same-store sales for the period.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Jeff Chiu/AP So far, 2014 has been a high-scoring year for initial public stock offerings. The first quarter saw more IPO activity than any other initial quarter since 2000, with 64 companies listing on various U.S. exchanges raising a collective $10.6 billion. That's more than double the number of IPOs that took place in the first quarter of 2013. This is directly related to the health of the overall stock market. Generally speaking, the better shares are performing, the higher the chance of an issuer being successful on IPO day. After all, who's eager to buy anything when the market's in the doldrums? Yet even in a good environment for IPOs, companies occasionally get the jitters and withdraw their listings. Sometimes this is due to the overall atmosphere on the market; sometimes it's because of difficulties with the issuing company itself; sometimes it's both. Whatever the reason(s), the notable examples below scampered away before they could become publicly traded entities. Square One of the top anticipated IPOs of 2014 was for this cutting-edge e-commerce company, which pioneered the use of smartphone and tablet payment card readers. Then there's Square's impeccable geek credentials, thanks in no small part to its founder-CEO Jack Dorsey, who was one of the guiding lights behind Twitter (TWTR). That, apparently, wasn't enough to bring it to market. In late February, media reports had it that the company postponed its planned IPO indefinitely. It seems that it's burning through cash very quickly and doesn't have enough revenue to cover this. Instead of listing on an exchange, the firm is reportedly looking for a deep-pocketed suitor and has allegedly held discussions with Google (GOOG), Apple (AAPL) and eBay (EBAY), and possibly even one of its investors, Visa (V), regarding a potential buyout. Square denies it has been in acquisition talks. Trustwave Holdings Another nonstarter in the tech IPO space was Trustwave, which provides on-demand data secu

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Target operates discount general stores across North America, where consumers continue to enjoy their shopping experience. The company�alerted customers on Thursday that data from about 40 million credit and debit cards might have been stolen from shoppers at its stores during the first three weeks of the holiday season. The stock is currently trading lower and may need some time to stabilize. Over the last four quarters, investors in the company have not been pleased, as earnings have been decreasing while revenues have been rising. Relative to its peers and sector, Target has been a poor year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what Target does the rest of this quarter.

Best Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: Inchcape PLC (INCH)

Inchcape plc is a global premium automotive distributor and retailer. The Company provides a professional and financed route to market for automotive manufacturers across five continents. Inchcape acts as a vehicle and parts distributor in 22 of its 26 markets. In these markets, the Company has responsibility for managing the value chain on behalf of a focused portfolio of premium and luxury brand partners. The Company�� responsibilities as a distributor include specifying vehicles to meet local market requirements, organizing logistics from the factory gate through to the retail center, appointing and performance managing the retail network and acting as the national marketer of the brand. The Company derives over two third of its profit from Asia Pacific and emerging markets. Its markets include Hong Kong, Singapore, Russia, Chile, Ethiopia, Australia and the United Kingdom. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Inchcape Plc (INCH) surged 9.9 percent to 645 pence, the highest level since June 2008. The largest publicly traded U.K. car retailer and wholesaler reported first-half adjusted pretax earnings increased 11 percent. The company also announced share buybacks of 100 million pounds in the next year.

Best Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: ALCO Stores Inc (ALCS)

Alco Stores, Inc., incorporated on June 2, 1915, is engaged in the business of retailing general merchandise throughout the central portion of the United States of America through a range of department store outlets. The Company�� ALCO stores offer a range of merchandise consisting of approximately 35,000 items, including automotive, commodities, crafts, domestics, electronics, furniture, hardware, health and beauty aids, housewares, jewelry, ladies�� men�� and children�� apparel and shoes, pre-recorded music and video, sporting goods, seasonal items, stationery and toys.

As of February 3, 2013, the Company operated 217 stores in 23 states located in mostly smaller communities in the central United States. The stores average approximately 21,000 square feet of selling space, with an additional 5,000 square feet utilized for merchandise processing, temporary storage and administration.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  ALCO Stores (NASDAQ: ALCS) is projected to post its Q2 earnings.

  Digital Cinema Destinations (NASDAQ: DCIN) is estimated to post a Q4 loss at $0.11 per share on revenue of $11.17 million.

Best Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: Big Lots Inc (BIG)

Big Lots, Inc., incorporated in May 2001, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a North America's closeout retailer. At January 28, 2012, the Company operated a total of 1,533 stores in two countries: the United States and Canada. The Company operates in two segments: U.S. and Canada. The merchandising categories include Consumables, Furniture, Home, Seasonal, Play n' Wear, and Hardlines & Other. The Consumables category includes the food, health and beauty, plastics, paper, chemical, and pet departments. The Furniture category includes the upholstery, mattresses, ready-to-assemble, and case goods departments. The Home category includes the domestics, stationery, and home decorative departments. The Seasonal category includes the lawn and garden, Christmas, summer, and other holiday departments. The Play n' Wear category includes the electronics, toys, jewelry, infant accessories, and apparel departments. The Hardlines & Other category includes the appliances, tools, paint, and home maintenance departments. On July 18, 2011, the Company acquired Liquidation World Inc. During the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012 (fiscal 2011), the Company opened 92 stores, acquired 89 stores and closed 46 stores.

All of the Company�� stores are located in North America and has an average store size of approximately 29,900 square feet, of which an average of 21,600 square feet is selling square feet. The 54 owned stores are located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas. At January 28, 2012, the Company owned or leased approximately 9.4 million square feet of distribution center and warehouse space. The Company leases and operates two regional distribution centers in Canada located in British Columbia and Ontario. Of its 1,533 stores, 33% operate in four states California, Texas, Ohio, and Florida, and net sales from stores in these states represented 36% of its fiscal 2011 net sales.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of discount retailer Big Lots (NYSE: BIG  ) sank 10% today after its current-quarter and full-year guidance disappointed Wall Street.

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Big Lots (BIG) plunged 12,6% to close at $32.47 after it disclosed a plan to exit the Canadian market, as the retailer conceded its efforts to turn around a business it acquired in July 2011 were unsuccessful. Results for the latest quarter missed expectations and the group issued a weaker full-year outlook for its U.S. operations.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Notable earnings released on Friday included:

  W&T Offshore(NYSE: WTI) reported a fourth quarter loss of $0.09 per share on revenue of $244.90 million, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.26 on revenue of $237.15 million. Footlocker(NYSE: FL) reported fourth quarter EPS of $0.82 on revenue of $1.79 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.73 on revenue of $1.71 billion. Big Lots(NYSE: BIG) reported fourth quarter EPS of $1.39 on revenue of $1.64 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $2.09 on revenue of $1.75 billion.

  Pre-Market Movers

• [By rusticnomad]

  There are a variety of eye-catching discount retail stores such as Big Lots (BIG), Family Dollar and Dollar General (DG) that are delivering impressive performance amid a tight economic environment. Let us see if they are good bets for investors.

Best Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: CarMax Inc(KMX)

CarMax, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer of used vehicles in the United States. It also sells vehicles that do not meet its retail standards to licensed dealers through on-site wholesale auctions, as well as sells new vehicles under franchise agreements. In addition, the company provides customers financing alternatives through its finance operation, CarMax Auto Finance, as well as through its third-party financing providers. Further, it offers a range of other related products and services, including the sale of extended service plans, guaranteed asset protection, and accessories; the appraisal and purchase of vehicles directly from consumers; and vehicle repair services. As of December 21, 2011, the company operated 107 used car superstores in 52 markets. CarMax, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top Headline
  CarMax (NYSE: KMX) reported weaker-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results and increased its share-buyback plan by $1 billion. CarMax's quarterly profit fell to $99.2 million, or $0.44 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $107.2 million, or $0.46 per share. Its revenue climbed 8.8% to $3.08 billion. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.53 per share on revenue of $3.12 billion.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Friday

  Earnings Expected From: �BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY), CarMax Inc. (NYSE: KMX), Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG), The Finish Line, Inc. (NASDAQ: FINL) Economic Releases Expected: �eurozone consumer confidence, US GDP, US consumer spending, Italian trade balance

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