When Wal-Mart
We got the answer this morning, as the majority of retailers unveiled their June results. To say the least, the results were spectacular. But as Fool retail investors know, it's important to look at trends, not just results from a single month. I put together a chart showing first-quarter and June comparable-store sales for the market cap leaders in three key retail segments.
Comparable Sales Results
Company | Ticker | QTR1 | JUNE | %CHG |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wal-Mart | WMT | 2.9% | 4.5% | 1.6% |
Target | TGT | 6.2% | 9.0% | 2.8% |
Costco | COST | 7.0% | 9.0% | 2.0% |
JC Penney | JCP | 3.0% | 7.4% | 4.4% |
Federated | FD | 2.6% | 2.9% | 0.3% |
Kohl's | KSS | 3.7% | 14.4% | 10.7% |
Gap | GPS | -4.0% | 0.0% | 4.0% |
Limited | LTD | -5.0% | 0.0% | 5.0% |
Chico's | CHS | 10.8% | 18.8% | 8.0% |
Abercrombie | ANF | 19.0% | 38.0% | 19.0% |
American Eagle | AEOS | 27.1% | 28.0% | 0.9% |
Note that every top retailer in the discount, department-store, and apparel sectors experienced improved comp sales momentum in June compared to the first quarter. A few are particularly worth commenting on.
Wal-Mart's 4.5% is well above its first-quarter trend, but seems paltry compared with sizzling results from discount competitors Target
Kohl's
Apparel stores are either feast or famine. While Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation Gap
For more recent retail happenings, check out:
- Wal-Mart Numbers a Hard Sell
- It's the Customer, Stupid!
- Abercrombie Is Turning Heads
- Expect More From Target
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Fool contributor Timothy M. Otte searches for retail value from Atlanta. He welcomes comments on his articles, and owns shares of Wal-Mart, but none of the other companies mentioned in this article. The Fool has a disclosure policy.