Why J.C. Penney's Shares Got Crushed

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Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP ) fell as much as 10% today, after announcing a massive third quarter loss.

So what: Revenue fell 26.6%, to $2.93 million in the quarter, and the company lost $123 million, or $0.56 per share. The worst part is that same-store sales fell 26.1%.

Now what: The only question is why shares didn't fall further? CEO Don Johnson tried to put a happy spin on the numbers, calling his company a start-up, in a way, but the reality is that the company is a dinosaur. I've never seen same-store sales numbers like that at such a big retailer, and I think this has "sell" written all over it. This stock is probably even a strong short candidate if you can find the shares to do it.

Interested in more info on J.C. Penney? Add it to your watchlist by clicking here.

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Fool contributor Travis Hoium has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. You can follow Travis on Twitter at @FlushDrawFool, check out his personal stock holdings, or follow his CAPS picks at TMFFlushDraw.

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