Yet with analysts having anticipated only a 3.4% rise in comps and Kohl’s e-commerce sales surging 59% in the month, you have to grudgingly agree it was a top-notch performance nonetheless. Compare that to J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE:JCP), which hasn’t released January numbers yet but is expected to show a more than 25% decline in same-store sales, and it’s easy to see that in the mid-tier department store market, Kohl’s is stealing customers who would otherwise have gone to at least one of its rivals.
Some analysts think that in its weakened state Kohl’s makes an attractive buyout candidate for private equity because it otherwise has solid brands and finances, so tell me in the comments box below what would be a good price for this retailer.
Stamps.com Inc.
The U.S. Postal Service ended 2012 some $16 billion in debt and floated (again) the idea of ending Saturday mail delivery as a means of saving $2 billion annually. Such a policy, if approved, would impact not only postal carriers, but a host of businesses that still rely upon the mails (think Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), at least until the official demise of the DVD). Yet online stamp seller Stamps.com should see a negligible impact.
While the e-stamp seller targets both individual customers and businesses, it’s the latter — the high-volume user — that is its true target market and arguably is more of a Monday-to-Friday customer than a weekend user anyway. Its $15.99 a month PC Postage business gives customers a free postage scale to hook up to a computer, allowing them to print out postage directly, but more important, it gives the customers discounts of as much as 63% off on Express Mail, Priority Mail, and first-class package services.
Stamps.com particularly wants to attract the small to medium-size business customer and had planned on spending 10% to 15% more to acquire such customers in 2012, and it seems to have had some success as it recorded a 19% rise in the PC Postage business in the third quarter. While the individual consumer will be put out by the post office’s Saturday delivery proposal, Stamps.com should remain unaffected.
Yongye International Inc
Chinese fertilizer maker Yongye International jumped in mid-October after management offered to take the company private for $6.60 a share. Scandals have marred investor confidence in Chinese stocks and led to dumping their shares on the market, which has prompted many to delist from U.S. exchanges. The Chinese government, however, got into the act by actively encouraging Chinese companies to exit U.S. markets and offering $1 billion loans to help them do so. In December, Yongye got another bounce when it was reported that the government-controlled state bank offered it financing to complete its going-private deal.
The stock still trades at a discount from the announced buyout price, probably due to doubts about whether it will actually do so, so whether you think Yongye will follow through may color your decision on whether it’s at a good price to buy now or not.
The article 3 Stocks Set to Soar originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Rich Duprey.
Fool contributor Rich Duprey has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Netflix. The Motley Fool owns shares of Netflix.
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