Homefurnishing Retail

Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE: PIR) today reported third-quarter profit of $38.8 million or $0.37 a share as compared to a loss of $36.9 million or $0.41 a share in the year ago period. Sales increased to $327.1 million against $300.9 million from the same quarter last year. Pier 1 Imports fell by 0....

Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE: PIR)(FREE stock trend analysis) reported financial results for the Q3 ended November 28, 2009. • Comparable store sales of 13.7%. • Merchandise margin improved to 56.6%. • Gross profit increased to 36.6%. • Operating income of $3m compared to an operating loss of $35m...

Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE: PIR) swings to profit in the fiscal third quarter. Peir 1 reported a better than estimated earnings of $38.8 million or 37 cents, compared to the analyst estimate of a loss of 5 cents. Revenue for the quarter ended November 28, 2009 was $327 million, compared to $301...

Some of the stocks saw extraordinary trading today in the morning. Some of these companies are: Altisource Portfolio Solutions SA (NASDAQ: ASPS) shares moved up by 6.93% to $17.91. The volume of ASPS shares traded was 404% higher than normal. ASPS provides residential mortgage origination and...

QuadraMed Corporation (NASDAQ: QDHC) shares surged by 29.80% to $8.32. QDHC has agreed to be acquired by a private-equity firm Francisco Partners in a $126 million deal. Francisco will pay $8.50 a share for the health-care information-technology company, representing a 33% premium to its Monday...

Analyst Bradley B Thomas of KeyBanc Capital Markets maintains his “buy” rating on Select Comfort Corporation (NASDAQ: SCSS). The target price for SCSS is set to $9. SCSS has announced its intention to raise capital through a public offering. The analyst believes that Select Comfort would sell...

We've been observing Howard Davidowitz for about 2 years now, and he is quite possibly (aside from Marc Faber) one of the most flamboyant speakers in the financial universe.  Agree, or disagree - he is a hoot to simply listen to. 2009 [Aug 27, 2009: Howard Davidowitz Returns to Yahoo Tech Ticker...

I always enjoy reading success stories from the "little guy", especially in such a field as mutual funds which are dominated by giants.  [Sep 21, 2009: BW - The Beauty of Small Boutique Mutual Funds]  Further, I am always on the look out for fund managers who employ a completely variant strategy to...

Moody's Investors Service upgraded its corporate family debt rating on Rent-a-Center (Nasdaq: RCII) after the company paid off $300 million in debt. Moody's now rates Rent-a-Center Ba2. That's still a junk rating and two notches below the lowest investment grade rating. Moody's also said its...

With the market trading relatively flat on November options expiration Friday, there were several stocks that hit my radar which traded higher on BIG volume. In this post, I will name 11 stocks which traded higher Friday November 20, 2009. I will be checking these stocks frequently to see if...

AnnTaylor Stores Corp. (NYSE: ANN) is expected to report third quarter earnings of 7 cents a share, according to a consensus survey by FactSet Research. The J.M. Smucker Company (NYSE: SJM) is forecast to post earnings of $1.04 a share in the second quarter. D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE: DHI) is...

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST) fell 2.895 to $44.74 after it reported Q3 EPS of $0.84 and revenue for the quarter was $1.74 billion Vs the consensus of $0.84 on $1.73 billion. The company reaffirms Q4 EPS of $0.88-$0.94 against the consensus of $0.99.It sees FY10 EPS of $3.27-$3.33. Sears...

• Bank of America/Merrill (NYSE:BAC) downgraded a number of semiconductor companies, expecting a modest inventory correction, even as economies improve and demand for electronics rises.  Four shares were downgraded to neutral, including Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN), Marvel...