Popular brands should spur online sales

Article Excerpt

The rise in online shopping has weighed on the stock prices of these three retailers. But recent investments in their own online businesses, and their well-known brands, should pay off. Still, two of the three stocks could move lower in the short term. MACY’S INC. $35 (New York symbol M, Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 308.4 million; Market cap: $10.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.4; Dividend yield: 4.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.macysinc.com) operates 870 Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s department stores and sells goods online. In its fiscal 2017 first quarter, which ended April 30, 2016, the company’s sales fell 7.4%, to $5.8 billion from $6.2 billion a year earlier. It closed 41 stores in 2015. Even so, same-store sales fell 6.1%. That’s mainly due to weaker demand for clothing and related items. As well, fewer tourists are visiting Macy’s flagship store in New York City. Earnings in the quarter dropped 39.9%, to $116 million from $193 million. Due to fewer…