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Best Buy's Profit Misses the Mark by a Penny
Excerpt from the InvestorGuide.com Stock of the Day on 9/15/2009

With every recession, some companies become victims of tough circumstances and declining profits. Over the last year, consumers have watched some of their favorite stores that have been around for years disappear. The stores left standing are often in a position to really perform well if they can get consumers back through the door. Now that Circuit City is out of the picture, many were expecting Best Buy to experience a surge in sales and profits. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. The electronics chain reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit as a result of weak sales. How did the results stack up to expectations? What factors contributed to the decline in sales?

Best Buy didn't perform that bad in comparison to analysts' expectations. In fact, the company just missed expectations by 1 cent. Best Buy's net profit fell to $158 million, or 37 cents a share, in the second quarter that ended on Aug. 29, from $202 million, or 48 cents a share, a year earlier. The company has steadily gained market share after main rival Circuit City closed its doors early this year, but consumers have not been quick to turn to Best Buy as an alternative. The economy may be slowly improving, but consumers are still watching every dime they spend. Now that big discounters such as Wal-Mart (WMT: Charts, News, Offers) are increasing their electronic offerings, consumers are flocking to these stores for bigger and better discounts. Best Buy also took a small hit during the back-to-school shopping season. Demand for notebooks and mobile phones briefly picked up, but definitely did not reach the level that they were use to. The company also pointed out some other areas of concern that led to the decline. Purchases of gaming items, digital cameras, appliances and movies are still being shunned by consumers. This is likely a result of people only purchasing necessary items until the economy and jobs market stabilize. More >


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Best Buy Remains Confident as 1Q Profit Drops
Excerpt from the InvestorGuide.com Stock of the Day on 6/16/2009

Best Buy may be able to surpass Wall Street's expectations and claim the number one spot, but sales at the electronics chain are far from impressive. The largest electronic chain reported on Tuesday that first-quarter profit fell 15%. For the period ended May 30, Best Buy posted income of $153 million, or 36 cents a share, down from $179 million, or 43 cents a share, a year earlier. The latest quarter included six cents a share in restructuring charges. What factors led to this decline? How does Best Buy believe it will perform in the coming months? More >

Nortel Networks Cuts More Jobs After Devastating Quarter
Excerpt from the InvestorGuide.com Stock of the Day on 11/10/2008

The economic downturn, more appropriately known as the global financial crisis, has had a disastrous effect on more industries than one can count, resulting in major operational overhaul as companies try to get a grip on their resources and cut costs. Today brings news of another company hit hard by weak sales and disappointing earnings, forcing drastic changes to the way it operates. Nortel Networks, the largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment in North America, has announced another round of sweeping job cuts as it grapples with its balance sheet. This company's strategy to turn things around involves a large scale effort to cut costs across multiple departments. Is Nortel trying to head off further losses by making such widespread changes or do they need to make up for lost time? More >

W.W. Grainger (GWW) Upgrades

Date
Analyst
Old Rating
New Rating
10/12/2009
Credit Suisse
Neutral
Outperform
10/12/2009
BB&T Capital
Hold
Buy
07/20/2009
Morgan Stanley
Underweight
Equalweight
07/13/2009
Bank of America
Neutral
Buy
02/12/2009
William Blair
Market Perform
Outperform
12/15/2008
Goldman Sachs
Sell
Buy

W.W. Grainger (GWW) Downgrades

Date
Analyst
Old Rating
New Rating
02/11/2008
Baird
Outperform
Neutral
01/13/2008
JP Morgan
Neutral
Underweight
01/12/2008
JP Morgan
Neutral
Underweight
01/11/2008
JP Morgan
Neutral
Underweight
06/27/2007
Matrix Research
Strong Buy
Buy
11/10/2006
Goldman Sachs
Sell
Neutral

W.W. Grainger (GWW) New Coverage

Date
Analyst
Rating
09/28/2009
Stephens & Co
Overweight
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