Best Retail Companies To Own In Right Now

I'll admit it. The traditional grocery business isn't an exciting industry for investment potential. Profit margins are low, with almost zero chance of spiking higher. Meaningful sales growth is hard to find, too. And grocery stores suffer from the constant threat of having more nimble retailers push into their markets, as we saw with Amazon.com's latest expansion of its food delivery business.

However, the safest path to big investment returns is through buying into years of predictable growth at a reasonable price. That's why I think Kroger (NYSE: KR  ) stock could be a great option for long-term investors right now.

Kroger chugs along
The grocer's latest earnings show the kind of steady results that most companies can only dream about. With a 3.3% boost in sales, Kroger notched its 38th consecutive quarter of growth at its existing stores. Customers responded to the company's investments in its locations by making more frequent visits, and by purchasing more products per trip. Packed register lines brought quarterly revenue to an all-time high $30 billion, and profits were up about 10%, to $481 million.

Top 5 Internet Companies To Buy Right Now: Foot Locker Inc (FL)

Foot Locker, Inc., incorporated on April 7, 1989, is a global retailer of shoes and apparel, operating 3,335 primarily mall-based stores in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand as of February 2, 2013. The Company operates in two segments: Athletic Stores and Direct-to-Customers. The Athletic Stores segment is an athletic footwear and apparel retailer whose formats include Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Footaction, and CCS. The Direct-to-Customers segment includes Footlocker.com, Inc. and other affiliates, including Eastbay, Inc. and CCS, which sell to customers through Internet websites, mobile devices, and catalogs. In September 2013, the Company acquired Runners Point Warenhandels GmbH (Runners) from Hannover Finanz GmbH.

Athletic Stores

Foot Locker is a global athletic footwear and apparel retailer. Its stores offer the products manufactured primarily by the athletic brands. Foot Locker offers products for a variety of activities, including basketball, running, and training. Additionally, the Company operates 65 House of Hoops, primarily a shop-in-shop concept, which sells basketball inspired products. Foot Locker�� 1,883 stores are located in 23 countries, including 1,072 in the United States, Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands, and Guam, 129 in Canada, 590 in Europe, and a combined 92 in Australia and New Zealand. The domestic stores have an average of 2,300 selling square feet and the international stores have an average of 1,500 selling square feet. Lady Foot Locker is a United States retailer of athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories for active women. Its stores carry athletic footwear and apparel brands, as well as casual wear and an assortment of apparel designed for a variety of activities, including running, walking, training, and fitness. In November 2012, the Company announced the introduction of a new banner named SIX:02. This new banner is an elevated retail concept featuring brand! s in fitness apparel and athletic footwear for women. Lady Foot Locker and SIX:02 operate 300 and 3 stores, and are located in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. These stores have an average of 1,300 selling square feet.

The Company�� Kids Foot Locker is a national children�� athletic retailer that offers a selection of brand-name athletic footwear, apparel and accessories for children. Its stores feature an environment geared to appeal to both parents and children. Its 305 stores are located in the United States, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Europe, and Canada. These stores have an average of 1,400 selling square feet. Footaction is a national athletic footwear and apparel retailer. Its 283 stores are located throughout the United States and Puerto Rico and focus on marquee footwear and branded apparel. The Footaction stores have an average of 2,900 selling square feet. Champs Sports is a mall-based specialty athletic footwear and apparel retailers in North America. Its product categories include athletic footwear and apparel, and sport-lifestyle inspired accessories. Its 539 stores are located throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. The Champs Sports stores have an average of 3,500 selling square feet. As of February 2, 2013, the Company operated 22 stores in the United States.

Direct-to-Customers

The Company�� Direct-to-Customers segment is multi-branded and multi-channeled. This segment sells, through its affiliates, directly to customers through its Internet websites, mobile devices, and catalogs. The Direct-to-Customers segment operates the Websites for eastbay.com, final-score.com, eastbayteamservices.com, ccs.com, as well as Websites aligned with the brand names of its store banners (footlocker.com, ladyfootlocker.com, kidsfootlocker.com, footaction.com, and champssports.com). Eastbay is a direct marketer in the United States, providing the high sch! ool athle! te with a sports solution, including athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, team licensed, and private-label merchandise. CCS serves the needs of the 12-20 year old seeking an authentic board lifestyle shop. CCS is anchored in skate but appealing to the surrounding board culture. The CCS format offers board lifestyle merchandise that will fit the needs of the customer all year long and stocks a selection of both core and lifestyle brands. The retail store operations of CCS are included in the Athletic Stores segment.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By abirk] retailer of shoes and apparel, operating 3,473 primarily mall-based stores (including 193 Runners Point Group stores) in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

  Headquartered in New York City, Foot Locker is an athletic footwear and apparel retailer. To improve overall performance in the long-run, the company has undertaken several initiatives.

  Results Recently

  Quarterly earnings have notched up for the last 15 years. Per-share earnings in the first quarter ending May 3 jumped 22% to $1.11 a share. Total revenue was up 14% to nearly $1.9 billion and same-store sales in the quarter advanced 7.6%.

  Sneakers have also been fueling sales at Kids Foot Locker, which has shown mid-teen to 20% growth the past few quarters. Globally, sales have been strong in European markets. Foot Locker acquired Runners Point to gain exposure to the German market. The acquisition is already proving to be a worthwhile one as the division saw a 14% gain in sales.

  Over the past four years, Foot Locker has seen its net income grow by 727.1% from $48 million to $397 million. This made Foot Locker gain a better position. FL's debt-to-equity ratio is very low at 0.05 and is currently below that of the industry average, implying that there has been successful management of debt levels.

  The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. Apart from delivering strong top-line and bottom-line growth, the company is also known for its shareholder-friendly moves. In fiscal year 2013, the company bought back 6.4 million shares worth $229 million, which includes 1.6 million shares repurchased in the fourth quarter.

  Management hiked the quarterly dividend by 10% and approved capex of $220 million for the year 2014.

  Over the past 5 years Foot Locker has been an incredible comeback story. Shares have now climbed nearly 14x in value since the bottom in 2009.

  What to Expect

• [By Rich Smith]

  New York City-based Foot Locker (NYSE: FL  ) is buying itself a subsidiary in Germany.

  The footwear and sportswear purveyor, which already has a presence in the country (and 22 other countries besides) announced Wednesday that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Runners Point Warenhandelsges, or RPG, from its majority owner, private equity firm Hannover Finanz, and its minority owners, Chief Executive Office Otto Hurler and Chief Financial Officer Harald Wittig, for a total of $94 million cash.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
  Records fell on Wall Street Friday as another solid report on housing lifted the market for the second day in a row. There's a three-day weekend coming up -- something that often prompts investor caution -- but the gains were broad-based even though volume was fairly light. The VIX, which measures volatility, fell to its lowest level this year. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) gained 63 points, the Nasdaq composite (^IXIC) rose 31, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) added 8, topping the record high set last week. The Dow Transportation average also raced to an all-time high, lifted by airline stocks. United (UAL) soared more than 4 percent; Delta (DAL) gained more than 1 percent and Southwest (LUV) gained 2 percent. Southwest is at an all-time high, up 79 percent from a year ago. New home sales bounced back with a better than expected 6.4 percent increase last month. Lennar (LEN) and D.R. Horton (DHI) both rose 4 percent. Pulte (PHM), Beazer (BZH) and Hovnanian (HOV) also solid posted gains. Earnings continue to drive retail stocks. Gap (GPS) edged higher even though net fell. Foot Locker (FL) gained 1½ percent after topping expectations. GameStop (GME) rose 4 percent. Its net rose, helped by the rollout last year of new Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Zumiez (ZUMZ) rose 5½ percent on an earnings beat. But Aeropostale (ARO) tumbled 24 percent. Its loss widened and sales declined. The retailer continues to struggle with teen fashion trends. Also on the earnings front, TiVo (TIVO) rose 2 percent as it swung to a profit from a year ago loss. It also reported an increase in the number of subscribers. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) rose 6 percent on news the company plans to eliminate up to 16,000 additional workers in an effort to cut costs. And several stocks extended big moves from yesterday. Best Buy (BBY) rose more than 3 percent for the second straight day after earnings beat expectations. Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS) jumped

Best Retail Companies To Own In Right Now: Five Below Inc (FIVE)

Five Below, Inc. (Five Below), incorporated on January 30, 2002, is a retailer offering a range of merchandise for teen and pre-teen customer. The Company offers products, including select brands and licensed merchandise across a number of categories, which it refer to as worlds-Style, Room, Sports, Media, Crafts, Party, Candy and Seasonal (which it refer to as Now). As of October 27, 2012, The Company operated 243 stores throughout the eastern half of the United States. Its Style consists primarily of accessories such as novelty socks, sunglasses, jewelry, scarves, gloves, hair accessories and attitude t-shirts. Its beauty offering includes products such as nail polish, lip gloss, fragrance and branded cosmetics. Its Room consists of items used to complete and personalize its customer�� living space, including glitter lamps, posters, frames, fleece blankets, pillows, candles, incense and related items. The Company also offers storage options for the customer�� room and locker.

The Company�� Sports consists of an assortment of sport balls, team sports merchandise and fitness accessories, including hand weights, jump ropes and gym balls. It also offers a variety of games, including name brand board games, puzzles, toys and plush items. In the summer season, its sports offering also include pool, beach and outdoor toys, games and accessories. Its Media consists of a selection of accessories for personal computers (PCs), cell phones, Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-3 Audio (MP3) players and tablet computers. The offering includes cases, chargers, headphones and other related items. It also carries a range of media products including books, video games and Digital Versatile Disc (DVDs). It offers an assortment of craft activity kits, as well as arts and crafts supplies, such as crayons, markers and stickers. It also offer trend-right items for school, such as backpacks, fashion notebooks and journals, novelty pens and pencils, as well as everyday name brand items.

The C! ompany�� Party consists of party goods, decorations and greeting cards, as well as everyday and special occasion merchandise. Its Candy consists of branded items that appeal to teens and pre-teens. This category includes an assortment of classic and novelty candy bars and movie-size box candy, as well as gum and snack food. It also sells chilled drinks through coolers. Its Seasonal consists of seasonally-specific items used to celebrate and decorate for events such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween and St. Patrick�� Day.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Thrifty teens continue flocking to�Five Below (NASDAQ: FIVE  ) . The deep discounter posted fiscal second-quarter results after Wednesday's market close.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  But who care about that right? You’re here for the stocks, so without further ado: AK Steel (AKS), teen-retailer Five Below (FIVE), FireEye (FEYE), GameStop (GME), Lululemon Athletica (LULU), Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MBIA (MBI), Peabody Energy (BTU), PulteGroup (PHM), Twitter (TWTR).

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  Five Below (NASDAQ: FIVE) shares shot up 11.61 percent to $42.41 after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results. The company posted its quarterly adjusted earnings of $0.47 per share on revenue of $212 million. However, analysts were projecting earnings of $0.45 per share on revenue of $207.8 million.

Best Retail Companies To Own In Right Now: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

Nordstrom, Inc., a fashion specialty retailer, offers apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories for women, men, and children in the United States. It offers a selection of brand name and private label merchandise. The company sells its products through various channels, including Nordstrom full-line stores, off-price Nordstrom Rack stores, Jeffrey? boutiques, treasure & bond, and Last Chance clearance stores; and its online store, nordstrom.com, as well as through catalog. Nordstrom also provides a private label card, two Nordstrom VISA credit cards, and a debit card for Nordstrom purchases. The company?s credit and debit cards feature a shopping-based loyalty program. As of September 30, 2011, it operated 222 stores, including 117 full-line stores, 101 Nordstrom Racks, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 treasure & bond store, and 1 clearance store in 30 states. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Caroline Bennett]

  Brad Smith, president and CEO of Intuit, is joining the board of directors for fashion specialty retailer Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN  ) .

  Smith brings the total number of Nordstrom directors up to 12, and has served in previous leadership positions for a number of technology-based companies. He will serve for one year, and will be subject to an annual election following his first term.

Best Retail Companies To Own In Right Now: Advance Auto Parts Inc(AAP)

Advance Auto Parts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items. It operates in two segments, Advance Auto Parts (AAP) and Autopart International (AI). The AAP segment operates stores, which primarily offer auto parts, including alternators, batteries, chassis parts, clutches, engines and engine parts, radiators, starters, transmissions, and water pumps; accessories comprising floor mats, mirrors, vent shades, MP3 and cell phone accessories, and seat and steering wheel covers; chemicals consisting of antifreeze, freon, fuel additives, and car washes and waxes; and oil and other automotive petroleum products. This segment also provides battery and wiper installation, battery charging, check engine light reading, electrical system testing, video clinics and project brochures, loaner tool programs, and oil and battery recycling services; and sells its products through online. The AI segm ent operates stores that offer replacement parts for domestic and imported cars, and light trucks to customers in northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, as well as to warehouse distributors and jobbers in North America. As of January 1, 2011, the company operated 3,369 AAP stores, including 3,343 stores located in the northeastern, southeastern, and Midwestern regions of the United States under the Advance Auto Parts and Advance Discount Auto Parts trade names; 26 stores situated in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands under the Advance Auto Parts and Western Auto trade names; and 194 stores under the Autopart International trade name in the United States. It serves do-it-yourself, do-it-for-me, or commercial customers. The company was founded in 1929 and is based in Roanoke, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CanadianValue]

  At the end of 2011, Advance Auto Parts (AAP) and O��eilly Automotive (ORLY) were the fifth- and tenth-largest positions in the Fund, respectively, and together constituted 6.2% of our assets. Auto parts retail is a difficult business for all but the most efficient players. An auto parts retailer must carry literally thousands of hard parts for hundreds of models of cars. Not many people walk in the door needing an alternator for a 1994 Ford, but the person who does is probably experiencing a crisis. The retailer who can manage a substantial investment in slow-turning parts inventory is able to earn a high margin on sales.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of AutoZone have fallen 1.7% to $531.87 at 11:52 a.m., while Advance Auto Part (AAP) has dropped 1.6% to $121.27 and O’Reilly Automotive (ORLY) has declined 0.9% to $147.25. Pep Boys (PBY), however, has bucked the selling–its shares have gained 1.9% to $10.57.

• [By Daniel Miller]

  Rather than pull my money out at the wrong time, as so many people did, I invested in specific trend-bucking, low-beta stocks -- O'Reilly (NASDAQ: ORLY  ) , Advance Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP  ) , and AutoZone (NYSE: AZO  ) . I did so while following Lynch's advice to "invest in what you know." To allow me to tell my story, let me briefly explain what the beta number is and how it works. Then I'll tell you why I picked those stocks and explain how you can do it next time.

Best Retail Companies To Own In Right Now: PetSmart Inc(PETM)

PetSmart, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of products, services, and solutions for pets in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The company offers consumables, such as pet food, treats, and litter; and hardgoods, which include pet supplies and other goods comprising collars, leashes, health care supplies, grooming and beauty aids, toys, apparel, and pet beds and carriers, as well as aquariums and habitats, accessories, d�or, and filters for fish, birds, reptiles, and small pets. It also provides fresh-water fish, small birds, reptiles, and small pets; and pet services, such as grooming, including precision cuts, baths, nail trimming and grinding, and teeth brushing, as well as training, boarding, and day camp services. In addition, the company operates PetsHotels that offer boarding for dogs and cats; provides personalized pet care, an on-call veterinarian, temperature controlled rooms and suites, daily specialty treats and p lay time, and day camp services for dogs; and operates veterinary hospitals, which offer services comprising routine examinations and vaccinations, dental care, a pharmacy, and surgical procedures. As of January 29, 2012, it operated 1,232 retail stores; 192 PetsHotels; 791 veterinary hospitals under the trade name of Banfield, The Pet Hospital; and 8 hospitals operated through other third parties in Canada. The company also offers its products through an e-commerce and community site, PetSmart.com. PetSmart, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM) shares moved up 12.21% to $67.11. The volume of PetSmart shares traded was 908% higher than normal. PetSmart surged on news that activist investor Barry Rosenstein had acquired a 9.9% stake and will seek a review of strategic alternatives.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  PetSmart Inc.(PETM) said it won’t replace the chief operating officer position after the retirement of Joseph O’Leary this year, a move that mirrors a growing trend among U.S. corporations. Shares dropped 3.1% to $65 premarket.

Best Retail Companies To Own In Right Now: Yum! Brands Inc.(YUM)

YUM! Brands, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a quick service restaurant company in the United States and internationally. It develops, operates, franchises, and licenses a system of restaurants, which prepare, package, and sell various food items, as well as operates Chinese casual dining concept restaurants. The company?s restaurants specialize in chicken, pizza, and Mexican-style food categories. It operates approximately 37,000 restaurants in 110 countries and territories under the KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell brands, as well as approximately 450 casual dining concept restaurants in China. The company was formerly known as TRICON Global Restaurants, Inc. and changed its name to YUM! Brands, Inc. in May 2002. YUM! Brands, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Alamy Sometime, companies can make brilliant moves; other times, things don't work out quite as planned. From an airline overpaying its departing CEO to a new way to eat a waffle in the morning, here's a rundown of this week's best and worst results from the business world. Cedar Fair (FUN) -- Winner There were plenty of reasons to expect amusement park operator Cedar Fair to post lower revenue than it did a year earlier. The crowd-drawing Easter holiday slipped into the first quarter this year. Cedar Fair sold ones of its parks. There was one week less in the second quarter than during last year's period. More importantly, rival Six Flags (SIX) posted a 3 percent decline in revenue during the same period a few days ago. However, the parent company of Cedar Point and Knott's Berry Farm came through with a 1 percent uptick in revenue as guest spending was more than enough to offset the slowing turnstile clicks. This may be a small step, but it's welcome at a time when it faced the same fierce headwinds that many of its coaster rides do. J.C. Penney (JCP) -- Loser Activist investor Bill Ackman is raising a stink at J.C. Penney. Has he forgotten what happened the last time? Ackman is frustrated that the chain has stuck to former CEO Mike Ullman as its interim helmsman for too long. He wants the stumbling retailer to rush the process and bring another former J.C. Penney CEO to step in as chairman of the board. The problem here is that it was Ackman that pushed for J.C. Penney to bring on Apple Store mastermind Ron Johnson to rescue the chain two years ago. The makeover went terribly, and sales fell sharply as Johnson's moves alienated loyal shoppers without wooing new customers. Ackman is an accomplished investor, but it's hard to take him seriously here. Yum! Brands (YUM) -- Winner The parent company behind Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut made the cut in this weekly column last week after introducing a fast casual concept called KFC eleven that upgrades the me

• [By Andr茅s Cardenal]

  Looking at P/E ratios over the last five years, Chipotle has usually looked more "expensive" than other restaurant chains, be it traditional fast-food giants like McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) and Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM  ) or more dynamic growth players such as Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) and Panera Bread� (NASDAQ: PNRA  ) .