Brian Sozzi Is Totally Killing It

Belus Capital Advisors' Brian Sozzi (Twitter: @BrianSozzi) appeared on CNBC's Fast Money Monday and, to put it simply, was totally killing it. According to Sozzi, both discount retailers and high-end retailers could suffer in this back to school season while he see's those companies in the middle outperforming.

He also shared his thoughts on J.C. Penney JCP as the very public boardroom brawl continues. Earlier today, reports leaked that Pershing Square's Bill Ackman is becoming isolated in his fight against the board.

J.C. Penney Not Out of the Woods

Sozzi commented on the embattled retailer and noted that the company is far from healthy here, reflecting exclusive comments he gave to Benzinga on July 31. He is afraid that the upcoming earnings report could be a stumbling block for the company.

"[J.C. Penney] is still going to have a liquidity run," he said and he noted that "there are still a lot of cash burn fears" over this quarter's numbers. He reiterated his firm's $12 price target on the stock.

Macy's the Anti-J.C. Penney

Sozzi also noted that Macy's M could be a play on weakness of J.C. Penney. He noted that estimates have come down heading into the quarter, which could set it up for a beat. He also noted that many of its higher-margin suppliers have reported better than expected earnings.

He said that this quarter "sets up well for Macy's" due to the lowered expectations. "Key higher margin suppliers including Michael Kors KORS and Fossil FOSL have reported well."

Wal-Mart Earnings Preview

Ahead of Wal-Mart's WMT earnings report on Thursday, Sozzi gave his thoughts on the low-cost retailer. Wal-Mart is expected to report second quarter EPS of $1.25 vs. $1.18 a year ago on revenue of $119.7 billion vs. $114.3 billion a year ago.

"I'm running away from it," Sozzi said on Wal-Mart shares. Sozzi noted that he was concerned over negative traffic trends at the retailer and also the company retreating on its international expansion plans.

He reflected similar fears on TJX Companies TJX, noting that he is concerned about margins at the company.