Back to top

Image: Bigstock

The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Shoe Carnival, RH, Burlington Stores, Dillard's and Tilly's

Read MoreHide Full Article

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL –June 21, 2018 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Shoe Carnival, Inc. (SCVL - Free Report) , RH (RH - Free Report) , Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL - Free Report) , Dillard's, Inc. (DDS - Free Report) and Tilly's, Inc. (TLYS - Free Report) .

Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:

Snap Up These 5 Retail Stocks Trading Higher 10% or More

The investment climate may not appear to be a favorable one with concerns of a trade war looming. Quite obviously, Wall Street investors may prefer playing safe with the hope that the United States and China will settle all disputes amicably. However, at the moment, tensions between the two of the world’s biggest economies have escalated following Trump’s order to U.S. Trade Representatives to locate options for imposing a 10% tariff on another $200 billion of Chinese goods.

Consequently, investors are jittery as earnings of companies susceptible to global trade war could be at risk. The market has already paid the price for confrontation with China over trade policies. Yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 287.26 points, while the S&P 500 declined 11.18 points. The tech-laden Nasdaq Composite Index shed 21.44 points. Nonetheless, ignoring the nervousness in the market, a few stocks have managed to rise 10% or more in a month. Here we have highlighted five such stocks from the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector.

Why the Retail Sector?

Retail-Wholesale sector, which occupies top 38% position in the list of Zacks sectors (6 out of 16), has advanced roughly 13% in the past six months outpacing the S&P 500’s growth of approximately 3%. Per the latest Earnings Preview, the sector is likely to witness bottom-line growth of 18.3% with top line projected to climb 7.7% in the second quarter reporting cycle.

Thanks to a robust job market as evident from the fall in the number of Americans claiming unemployment benefits and jobless rate hovering at an 18-year low. This along with tax reform and sound economic fundamentals are likely to boost consumer confidence, which rose close to 18-year high in May. We expect this positive sentiment to translate into higher consumer spending — one of the pivotal factors driving the economy. Per industry experts, second-quarter GDP rate likely to come ahead of 4%.

Notably, U.S. retail and food services sales in May advanced 0.8% to $502 billion, following an upwardly revised reading of 0.4% gain in April, per the Commerce Department. Meanwhile, retail sales improved 5.9% from May 2017. Pick up in retail sales is welcome news for retailers, whose fortunes depend upon consumers’ willingness to spend.

For obvious reasons, retailers are the end gainers. With digital transformation in shopping, retailers are fast adopting the omni-channel mantra to provide a seamless shopping experience, whether online or in-stores. Moreover, National Retail Federation’s projection of an uptick in U.S. retail sales of 3.8-4.4% this year raises optimism. Additionally, the recent cut in corporate tax rate will allow retailers to channelize the surplus money toward best possible alternatives.

Certainly, the sector is likely to catch investors’ attention. So, picking up stocks from the space will be a prudent move. Here are five stocks you can count upon. We have shortlisted them on the basis of a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and a VGM Score of A or B.

5 Prominent Picks

Shoe Carnival, Inc., a family footwear retailer, has a VGM Score of B. It has an expected EPS growth rate of 12% for 3-5 years. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has surged roughly 27% in a month. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

RH, a home furnishings retailer, has a VGM Score of B. The stock has an expected EPS growth rate of 24% for 3-5 years. Shares of this Zacks Rank #1 company have rallied about 54% in a month.

Burlington Stores, Inc., which operates as a retailer of branded apparel products, has a VGM Score of B and a Zacks Rank #2. It has an expected EPS growth rate of 18.1% for 3-5 years. The stock has increased roughly 13% in a month.

Dillard's, Inc., which operates retail department stores, has a VGM Score of A. It has an expected EPS growth rate of 9.9% for 3-5 years. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has shown a decent run in the bourses and advanced about 23% in a month.

Tilly's, Inc.retails casual apparel, footwear, and accessories. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has soared approximately 29% in a month. The stock has a VGM Score of B.

Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies

It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%.

And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation.

See Them Free>>

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

support@zacks.com                                      

http://www.zacks.com                                                   

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.