Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, department store operator Sears Holdings
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Sears' business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Sears facts
| Headquarters (founded) | Hoffman Estates, Ill. (1899) |
| Market Cap | $6.3 billion |
| Industry | Department stores |
| Trailing-12-Month Revenue | $41.6 billion |
| Management | Chairman Edward Lampert President/CEO Louis D'Ambrosio |
| Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) | (14.6%) |
| Cash/Debt | $747.0 million / $3.5 billion |
| Competitors |
J.C. Penney Target Wal-Mart Stores |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 37% of the 2,334 members who have rated Sears believe the stock will underperform the S&P 500 going forward.
A couple of months ago, one of those Fools, Reesetricted, succinctly summed up the bear case for our community:
Sears is a dog. They cant make a profit because they are not a "go-to" for anything in particular. Since they don't specialize, they compete with giants ... not to mention other mall/clothing retailers, as well as the more sector specific outlets. Their business model is tantamount to a more expensive [Wal-Mart] with less selection. Sears ... you fail. Short term and long. Selling your stores is a good move, however you have fallen short. Liquidation is the right move. See you in the pink.
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