NORDSTROM INC. $53

NORDSTROM INC. $53 (New York symbol JWN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 172.9 million; Market cap: $9.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 2.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.nordstrom.com) mainly sells upscale clothing, accessories and footwear. It owns and operates 326 stores in the U.S. and Canada. The company is facing stronger competition from online retailers. In response, it plans to cut jobs at its corporate and regional support centres. In all, these layoffs represent 1% of its workforce. The cuts should save Nordstrom $60 million a year; it earned $600 million, or $3.15 a share, in the fiscal year ended January 30, 2016. The company will invest the savings in its own e-commerce operations. Nordstrom is still a buy.

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