Updating LIMITED BRANDS INC., SONY CORP. and T. ROWE PRICE GROUP INC.

Article Excerpt

LIMITED BRANDS INC. $13 (New York symbol LTD; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 321 million; Market cap: $4.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; WSSF Rating: Average) earned $0.01 a share in its first fiscal quarter, which ended May 2, 2009. That was better than analysts expectations of a loss of $0.04 a share. In the year-earlier quarter, the clothing retailer earned $0.11 a share. That figure excludes a gain on the sale of its stake in a joint venture and a writedown of its investment in another joint venture. Sales fell 10.4%, to $1.7 billion from $1.9 billion. Overall same-store sales fell 7%, consisting of a 10% drop at the Victoria’s Secret and La Senza lingerie chains and a 3% drop at its Bath & Body Works personal-care products stores. The company continues to lower its costs. These measures, which include cutting its head office staff by 10%, freezing salaries and opening fewer stores, should improve its profitability when sales…