The Buckle (BKE)

Buckle Same Store Sales Up 5% in Feb

The Buckle announced today that comparable store net sales, for stores open at least one year, for the four-week period ended February 27, 2010 increased 5.1 percent from comparable store net sales for the four-week period ended February 28, 2009. Net sales for the fourweek fiscal month ended February 27, 2010 increased 9.7 percent to $69.4 million from net sales of $63.3 million for the prior year four-week fiscal month ended February 28, 2009.
The Buckle has grown nicely over the years in the center of the US. They are now expanding into the east and west coasts.

Mar 4 · 10:32:00 AM · Source: Company Press Release
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by Rich Pike

News Corp (NWSA)

News Corp Agrees to Sale of bTV to CME

News Corporation announced today it has reached an agreement to sell bTV, its Bulgarian terrestrial TV business, to Central European Media Enterprises (CME), the leading broadcaster in Central and Eastern Europe, for $400 million in cash.
The sale completes News Corporation's program of exiting its substantial Eastern European free-to-air broadcasting businesses. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval by the Bulgarian Commission for the Protection of Competition and other customary closing conditions.

Feb 18 · 12:22:00 PM · Source: Company Press Release
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by Rich Pike

Home Depot (HD)

Home Depot to Add Parking Lot Businesses?

According to Trading markets, Home Depot is taking a hard look at those acres of blacktop surrounding their stores to see if they could support an acre-sized business in the parking lot. Fast-food restaurants, banks or auto-parts stores are the most likely businesses that will pop up on those oceans of asphalt that are no longer practical, said Mike LaFerle, vice president of real estate and construction for the company.
File this under "signs of the times". The 14 stores in the Sacramento region are among the potential locations for the "carve-out" projects, but specific sites have not been identified. We'll keep you posted.

Feb 11 · 2:06:00 PM · Source: Trading Markets
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by Rich Pike

AutoNation (AN)

AutoNation Reports 2009 4th Qtr and 2009 Results

AutoNation reported 2009 fourth quarter GAAP net income from continuing operations of $62 million or $0.36 per share, compared to $73 million or $0.42 per share for the prior year. Fourth quarter 2009 revenue totaled $2.8 billion, compared to $2.6 billion in the year-ago period, an 8% increase.

For the full year ended December 31, 2009, the Company reported GAAP net income from continuing operations of $234 million or $1.32 per share, compared to a GAAP net loss from continuing operations of $1.2 billion or $6.82 per share for the prior year. The Company's revenue for the full year ended December 31, 2009 totaled $10.8 billion, down 20% compared to $13.4 billion in the prior year.
The results look okay until you take a close look at the fact that revenue was down 20% in 2009 from 2008. AutoNation's CEO stated that planning assumption for 2010 industry new unit sales is 11.5 million units with a gradual increase in the selling rate over the course of the year.

Feb 11 · 2:00:00 PM · Source: Company Press Release
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by Rich Pike

Expedia (EXPE)

Expedia Reports 4th Qtr and Full 2009 Results

Expedia's press release is confusing and hard to follow, which does not instill confidence. Here's their section on their cash flow, which might just be the most important thing to look at "Net cash provided by operating activities in 2009 was $676 million and free cash flow was $584 million. Both measures include $207 million from net changes in operating assets and liabilities, primarily driven by an improvement in our merchant hotel bookings in the fourth quarter of 2009 compared to 2008. Free cash flow increased $223 million in 2009 primarily due to growth in our merchant hotel business, lower capital expenditures and higher OIBA, partially offset by occupancy tax assessments and an increase in cash paid for interest and income taxes."
Also, Expedia’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.07 per share of outstanding common stock to be paid to stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 11, 2010, with a payment date of March 31, 2010.

Feb 11 · 1:50:00 PM · Source: Company Press Release
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by Rich Pike

Amazon (AMZN)

Amazon 4th Qtr Sales up 42% to $9.5 Billion

Amazon.com recently announced financial results for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2009. Operating cash flow was $3.29 billion in 2009, compared with $1.70 billion in 2008. Free cash flow increased 114% to $2.92 billion in 2009, compared with $1.36 billion in 2008.
This is a startling quote: "Millions of people now own Kindles," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. "And Kindle owners read, a lot. When we have both editions, we sell 6 Kindle books for every 10 physical books. This is year-to-date and includes only paid books -- free Kindle books would make the number even higher. It's been an exciting 27 months."

Feb 10 · 1:08:00 PM · Source: Company Press Release
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by Rich Pike

McDonald's (MCD)

McDonald's Comp Store Sales Increase

McDonald's announced today that global comparable sales increased 2.6% in January.
U.S. was down 0.7%. Europe was up 4.3%. Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa was up 4.3%. That has been the trend lately - relatively flat in the U.S. and growth outside the U.S.

Feb 10 · 1:04:00 PM · Source: Company Press Release
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by Rich Pike

Disney (DIS)

Disney Reports $0.44 EPS for 1st Qtr 2010

The Walt Disney Company today reported earnings for its first fiscal quarter ended January 2, 2010. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter were $0.44 compared to $0.45 in the prior-year quarter. EPS for the current and prior-year quarter include the items discussed in the following paragraph. Excluding these items, EPS for the quarter increased 15% to $0.47 compared to $0.41 in the prior-year quarter.
“We are pleased with our first quarter results and are excited about our creative pipeline, from upcoming movies like Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story 3 to new attractions at our Parks and Resorts,” said Robert A. Iger, President and CEO, The Walt Disney Company. “Our unique ability to deliver outstanding experiences to consumers across platforms, markets and businesses gives us a strong competitive advantage and positions us well for long-term growth.”

Feb 10 · 12:58:00 PM · Source: Company Press Release
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by Rich Pike