This year's prospects of a Santa Claus rally appear to be brightening as the economic landscape continues to clear and consumers recapture their confidence.Wall Street has long prospered from a strong fourth quarter, owing to an uptick in consumer spending, but 2025 could see significant investment opportunities emerge as optimism for a strong end to the year grows.Market analysts have been particularly bullish on the prospect of a Santa Claus rally in recent weeks, with Jimmy Lee, CEO of Wealth Consulting ...

This year's prospects of a Santa Claus rally appear to be brightening as the economic landscape continues to clear and consumers recapture their confidence.Wall Street has long prospered from a strong fourth quarter, owing to an uptick in consumer spending, but 2025 could see significant investment opportunities emerge as optimism for a strong end to the year grows.Market analysts have been particularly bullish on the prospect of a Santa Claus rally in recent weeks, with Jimmy Lee, CEO of Wealth Consulting ...

here with her top retail plays into year end is Bernstein's Anisha Sherman. Anisha, great to uh great to have you on. Before we get to some of your favorites, I wonder what you're hearing from some of the companies that are recently reporting the retail industry uh about the tone of spending, the the pace of discounting and things like that into the into the final four weeks here.>> Sure. Thanks for having me on. So, we are in the thick of retail earnings at the moment.We've had a lot of big prints. We've g ...

Lindsey Nicholson / UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images Shares of TJX have added roughly a fifth of their value in 2025 so far Key Takeaways TJ Maxx and Marshalls owner TJX posted earnings that exceeded analysts' estimates. The off-price retailer also boosted its outlook on optimism about the holiday shopping season. TJX (TJX) shares traded near their all-time highs Wednesday after the off-price retailer posted better-than-expected quarterly results and boosted its outlook. The stock jump ...

Um, joining me here now for this opening bell, Alex Coffee is with me. We have a few names on the move. I saw TJX, parent of TJ Maxx and Marshalls raising some numbers.Let's hear about this. >> Good morning, Nicole. Yes.Uh, of our movers here, this is the lone green name of the bunch. Comp sales up 5% versus 3% a year ago. That was also better than the estimate of 3.6%.uh with the strongest segment actually being the TGX Canada up 8%. When you look at EPS$128 was better than the dollar14 uh last year on a u ...

The T.J. Maxx logo is displayed at a T.J. Maxx store on August 20, 2025 in Pasadena, California.The CEO of TJX Companies said on Wednesday the holiday shopping season is off to a "strong start" as the discounter behind TJ Maxx, Home Goods and Marshalls issued fiscal third-quarter results that beat expectations on the top and bottom lines. "The availability of merchandise continues to be outstanding, and we are excited about the deals we are seeing in the marketplace," CEO Ernie Herrman said in a news releas ...

Core Insights - TJX Companies reported fiscal Q1 2026 earnings with EPS of $0.92 and revenue of $13.1 billion, exceeding expectations [1] - Comparable store sales increased by 3%, aligning with the higher end of projections, while pretax margins reached 10.3% [1] - The company returned $1 billion to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends during the quarter [1] Company Performance - TJX has demonstrated consistent long-term stock performance, compounding at an annual rate of 16.7% over the last two decades [2] - The stock has significantly outperformed competitors in the discount retail sector [2] - Despite a slight decline in shares post-earnings, TJX maintains a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) rating, indicating positive earnings estimate revisions [3] Financial Metrics - TJX's annual EPS has grown from $0.06 in 1996 to $4.26 today, showcasing steady earnings growth [5] - The company has reduced shares outstanding by 60% since 1998, reflecting a commitment to returning cash to shareholders [6] - TJX's median earnings multiple has increased from approximately 19x to 24.4x, with current trading at a premium valuation of 30.4x [6] Industry Comparison - TJX's earnings growth forecast is currently at 9.1% annually over the next three to five years, which is modest compared to competitors [7] - Costco has a similar growth forecast of 9.4% but trades at a higher valuation of 57.7x forward earnings [8] - Burlington Stores offers the highest projected earnings growth at 14.5% annually, trading at 29.2x forward earnings, presenting a compelling growth/value trade-off [9] Investment Considerations - For long-term investors, TJX remains a reliable retail name with a disciplined capital return strategy and effective business model [10] - Burlington Stores may be a more attractive option for those seeking stronger near-term earnings growth [11] - TJX is considered a textbook compounder, making it a worthy consideration for a diversified portfolio [11]

Market Overview - U.S. futures are down across the board, with the Dow down 345 points (-0.81%), S&P 500 down 38 points (-0.64%), Nasdaq down 146 points (-0.68%), and Russell 2000 down 21 points (-1.02%) [2] - Major indexes have been flat over the past five trading days, with the Dow showing a slight increase of 1% over the past month, while all indexes are up double-digits [2] Q1 Earnings Reports - Target's Q1 earnings were disappointing, with earnings of $1.30 per share missing the Zacks consensus of $1.65 by 19.75%. Revenues of $23.85 billion were 1.58% short of expectations. The company has cut its growth forecast to negative from slightly positive [3] - Lowe's reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with earnings of $2.92 per share beating the Zacks consensus by 4 cents, and revenues of $20.93 billion slightly exceeding the anticipated $20.92 billion. Shares are up 1.75% in early trading [4] - The TJX Companies modestly beat expectations with earnings of 92 cents per share, 2 cents above estimates, and revenues of $13.11 billion, surpassing the anticipated $13.0 billion. Comparable sales grew by 3% year over year [5] - VF Corp. reported mixed results, with a narrower-than-expected loss of 13 cents per share compared to the estimated 15 cents, but revenues of $2.14 billion fell short of the $2.18 billion consensus. Shares are down 14% due to a challenging macro environment [6] Upcoming Earnings - Urban Outfitters is expected to report solid growth in both top and bottom lines year over year. Additionally, Snowflake and Zoom Communications will also release their quarterly results later today [7]