It was a rough week to be the long the market, so let's see how my "three stocks to avoid" column fared last week. The three stocks I thought were going to lose to the market for the week -- Baozun (BZUN 4.51%), La-Z-Boy (LZB 2.11%), and Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) -- rose 1%, fell 8%, and sank 3%, respectively, averaging out to a 3.3% decline.
The S&P 500 experienced a 4% move lower. It was close, but I was wrong. I have still been right in 29 of the past 45 weeks.
Now let's look at the week ahead. I see Tesla Motors (TSLA 1.85%), Kirkland's (KIRK 20.11%), and Vera Bradley (VRA 2.96%) as stocks you may want to consider steering clear of this week. Let's go over my near-term concerns with all three investments.
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1. Tesla Motors
There was a time when the market applauded stock splits, but Tesla Motors shares slipped 3% last week despite completing a 3-for-1 stock split. Its aspirational electric vehicles continue to sell briskly, something that most automakers can't say is the case for them these days. Teslas fantastic cars. The stock may be a bumpier ride.
Has Tesla earned the right to be this country's fifth most valuable company by market cap? Will the otherwise brilliant Elon Musk say something or stumble into a controversy that finally strips off his Teflon coating? There are a lot of questions to answer at a time when the stock market's earlier summer rally has lost steam after back-to-back weeks of declines.
2. Kirkland's
We've seen home goods retailers fall hard this earnings season, and on Tuesday it could be Kirkland's investors that learn that home is where the hard is. The chain that sells home decor, furniture, and other house staples posts results for its fiscal second quarter on Tuesday morning. It's not likely to be pretty. Analysts see a $97.2 million in revenue, 15% below where it was a year earlier. This isn't new. This will be the third time in the past four fiscal years that Kirkland's posts negative revenue growth.
There's no relief on the bottom line. Wall Street's holding out for a huge quarterly deficit, a sharp contrast from the small profit it squeezed out in last year's summertime report. The red ink could be worse than the $0.87-per-share loss that analysts are targeting, and Kirkland's has fallen short of expectations in two of the past three quarters.
Kirkland's didn't experience the resurgence that some home goods chains delivered earlier in the pandemic. Trailing revenue is 17% lower than it was when the business peaked in fiscal 2019. The stock has fallen to the mid-single digits, but its highly leveraged position makes it a risky stock if it can't return to profitability soon.
3. Vera Bradley
Kirkland's isn't the only struggling retailer trading for $4 and change that's reporting quarterly results this week. Vera Bradley checks in on Wednesday morning, and it has fallen short of Wall Street profit targets for at least the last four quarters. Vera Bradley is a designer of high-end handbags, luggage, and other travel items. It also owns a majority stake in bracelet specialist Pura Vida.
Vera Bradley should've seen its business pick back up once the world started traveling again, but the market's expecting a decline in sales for the quarter. Inflationary and recessionary pressures aren't helping, keeping people cautious about spending only on essentials. Wonky macro trends are too much baggage for this baggage designer.
It's going to be a bumpy road for some of these investments. If you're looking for safe stocks, you aren't likely to find them in Tesla Motors, Kirkland's, and Vera Bradley this week.
