Home Improvement Retail

  Author: Mark Holder, Stone Fox Capital Covestor model: Net Payout Yields The Net Payout Yields model gained a solid 4.3% in March versus 3.1% for the benchmark S&P 500. The model remained strong all month even as the S&P 500 struggled toward the end of March. This month was a normal...

According to a research report published earlier today, Piper Jaffray has upgraded Lowe's (NYSE: LOW) from Neutral to Overweight, and has increased PT from $29 to $41. In the report, Piper Jaffray said, "We are upgrading shares of LOW to Overweight following positive findings in our home...

Supplies distributor MSC Industrial (MSM) said Q2 EPS grew 22% to 95 cents, in line. Sales beat views, up 16.5% to $563 mil. It sees $1.08-$1.12 Q3 EPS, vs. views for $1.08. MSC, off 2%, is in the hot building products group with Fastenal (FAST), Lowe's (LOW), Grainger (GWW) and Home Depot (HD).

The MBA Mortgage Applications Survey tracks new home mortgage applications and resembles a current indicator for the U.S. housing market. The Survey increased 4.8% versus the prior week. This is essentially bullish for the U.S. housing market. MBA Mortgage Applications measures the change in the...

When you drink soda from an aluminum can, chances are Valspar made the can's coating. Valspar is among the global leaders in paints and coatings for food and beverage packaging and many other products. Shoppers at Lowe's (LOW) may recognize Valspar in the paint aisle. The two companies work closely...

The MBA Mortgage Applications Survey tracks new home mortgage applications and resembles a current indicator for the U.S. housing market. The Survey decreased 2.7% versus the prior week. This is essentially bearish for the U.S. housing market. MBA Mortgage Applications measures the change in the...

New Home Sales measures the number of new single-family homes that were sold during the prior month; this report is somewhat strongly correlated to Existing Home Sales. (NYSE: XHB) The Survey states that 313 thousand new single-family homes were sold in February. This is lower than the 325...

The MBA Mortgage Applications Survey tracks new home mortgage applications and resembles a current indicator for the U.S. housing market. The Survey decreased 7.4% versus the prior week. This is essentially bearish for the U.S. housing market. (NYSE: XHB) MBA Mortgage Applications measures the...

The Christian Science Monitor's Husna Haq had an interesting article Thursday on how three in 10 young adults are moving back home to live with parents in the midst of a struggling economy and a dire job market. From the article: "Unable to find well-paying work in a weak economy, escalating...

The MBA Mortgage Applications Survey tracks new home mortgage applications and resembles a current indicator for the U.S. housing market. The Survey decreased 2.4% versus the prior week. This is essentially bearish for the U.S. housing market. MBA Mortgage Applications measures the change in the...

 ( click to enlarge ) The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.(NASDAQ: BONT) was the stock of the day for me. It opened at 6.95 and went as high as 8.59 at one point, and closed at 8.26, up 1.26, or 18%, on 2.19 million shares. That's the second heaviest volume this year. We all know that the stock is way...

Charles Sizemore, Sizemore Investment Letter Author: Charles Sizemore Covestor models: Sizemore Investment Letter and Tactical ETF Last week, I announced to the world what a momentously bad investment I had just made. Yes, dear reader, I was dragged kicking and screaming against my will into...

Shares of Lowe's (NYSE: LOW) are higher on the session by 3.14%, currently trading at $28.71. The stock has been moving largely higher over the past three months and is currently trading above the 50-day moving average. Options traders are focusing on calls today. The strike seeing the heaviest...

Analysts at Credit Suisse upgraded Motorola Solutions Inc (NYSE: MSI) from “neutral” to “outperform.” MSI's stock closed at $49.99 yesterday. Motorola Solutions' PEG ratio is 1.25. Analysts at Morgan Stanley upgraded Lowe's Companies Inc (NYSE: LOW) to “equal-weight.” Lowe's shares closed at $28....

Morgan Stanley raises its rating on Lowe's (NYSE: LOW) to Equal-Weight as it increases its price target to $30 on higher EBIT and Buyback. Morgan Stanley notes, "We upgrade LOW as we have increased our base case value to $30, primarily due to 3-10% higher EBIT as well as buyback assumptions. We...