New strategies fuel Macy’s rebound

Article Excerpt

MACY’S INC. $28 (New York symbol M, Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 426.8 million; Market cap: $12.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; Dividend yield: 1.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.macysinc.com) has rebounded strongly since falling to below $7 in March 2009. That’s mainly due to the success of its “My Macy’s” strategy, which lets managers at its 810 Macy’s and 41 Bloomingdale’s department stores customize their merchandise to local tastes. The company’s sales fell 12.9%, from $27.0 billion in 2007 to $23.5 billion in 2010 (fiscal years end January 31). In 2011, the first full year of the My Macy’s initiative, sales rose 6.4%, to $25.0 billion. Same-store sales rose 4.6% in 2011. That’s a big improvement over 2010’s 5.3% decline. Cost cuts helped spur earnings Earnings fell 52.7%, from $1.1 billion in 2007 to $543.0 million in 2009. Earnings per share fell 40.2%, from $2.16 to $1.29, on fewer shares outstanding. As part of the My Macy’s plan, the company also cut jobs,…