Posts Tagged ‘second’

While Costco appears to be seeing improvement in their operating margins, we feel that severe weather that blanketed much of the nation over the last few weeks could limit any upside surprise.

Corporate spending has clearly been subdued over the last few quarters, but we expect that RIM will benefit as enterprise spending begins to ramp up once again.

We believe that Best Buy will likely expand upon their recent market share gains, but likely still faces challenges from weak consumer demand.

While sales of Dell computers have been significantly impacted by the economic recession, we believe that IT spending is beginning to show signs of improvement.

We are looking for Barnes & Noble to report earnings at the midpoint of their guidance range after delivering stronger than expected results last quarter. While the book seller continues to face severe economic headwinds, we believe the company remains focused on maintaining gross margins and reducing expenses.

While top-line growth remains challenging due to weak economic factors, Target continues to deliver strong margins through solid expense management.

The improving employment situation appears to be making consumers more comfortable with investing in home improvement projects once again, particularly for do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. This bullish sentiment along with the increasingly positive signs that the housing markets may have bottomed are all incremental positives for Home Depot.

Over the last few weeks, we have seen increased optimism over improving economic conditions. The housing markets appear to have bottomed, consumer confidence is increasing, and the unemployment rate in July actually improved to 9.4%. These are all positive signs for Lowe’s as consumers begin to invest again in home improvement projects.

Last quarter, Dr Pepper Snapple delivered stronger than expected results and increased its full year guidance. The outlook for the company’s carbonated soft drink segment continues to improve. Sales volumes have been improving, while pricing pressures appear to have subdued.

Priceline continues to gain market share despite weakness in the global economy.