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 retailer bebe stores
So what: Retail sales from continuing operations increased 7.3% to $122.4 million in the quarter. Management expects earnings to be at the high end of guidance, which was $0.01 to $0.04 per share prior to certain charges.
Now what: bebe has been through a rough drop in sales, and this could be signaling a turnaround for the company. After dropping 17.1% in 2010, same-store sales improved 0.4% for the full year, and the large increase this quarter has the company headed in the right direction. I'm not jumping on the move today simply because the company's forward P/E ratio of 56 is too steep, but the improving trends are worth keeping an eye on.
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