The last month has been pretty awful for retailers' shares, with continued high unemployment, fragile consumer confidence, and growing concern that the economic expansion is running out of steam.
The Gap Price Stock Chart by YCharts
The government's retail sales figures show the slowdown, too:
The sell-off has pushed several retail stocks down far enough that YCharts Pro stock ratings views them as attractive and undervalued. These ratings, of course, are based on historical valuations, so if a company has newly fallen into the hands of incompetent management or suffered some other secular mishap, the ratings could well be in error. But five companies considered mostly well-managed are worth a look. Ask yourself: do you see the current economic malaise as a short-term thing? If so, this could be a buying opportunity. Also ask yourself: Do you believe in the individual company's future? If not, avoid the shares even if they're cheap. Giving each of these companies a workout on YCharts, from P/E ratio to dividend yield to price/sales ratio and more will answer some of your questions.
Staples
Staples Dividend Stock Chart by YCharts
Target
Target Corporation Price / Sales Ratio Stock Chart by YCharts
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores Dividend Stock Chart by YCharts
Kohls
Kohls Corporation Revenues Stock Chart by YCharts
GAP
The Gap Revenue Growth Stock Chart by YCharts
Jeff Bailey is an editor for the YCharts Pro Investor Service which includes professional stock charts, stock ratings and portfolio strategies.