Stores, software, and surfing the Web will have starring roles this week.
Monday
The market is closed for Presidents Day. Now would be a good time to begin shoveling the snow out of your driveway (or stop laughing at those who have to).
Tuesday
The abridged trading week begins with Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) reporting. The economy may be showing signs of life, but analysts see the young adult apparel retailer posting a smaller profit than it did during the previous year's holiday quarter.
If you're eyeing year-over-year improvement, Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFMI) and Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) should fit the bill. The organic grocer and the foodstuffs giant are projected to post marginal improvement.
Wednesday
United Online (Nasdaq: UNTD) dials in. The company that has expanded beyond its Juno and NetZero Internet access roots to add everything from FTD to Classmates.com to its portfolio should post flattish quarterly results.Â
Thursday
Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL) walks the plank. The flooring retailer specializing in hardwoods is pegged to beat last year's quarterly profit of $0.24 a share by a penny. It may be too early in the real estate market's recovery cycle to begin falling for home improvement plays, but Lumber Liquidators has been able to hold up better than the pack by expanding rapidly in this highly fragmented sector.
Intuit (Nasdaq: INTU) also gets "into it" on Thursday. The accounting software company is in its prime season, with business accounting and budgeting programs selling briskly before year's end and taxpayers starting to work on their annual returns.
Friday
J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) wraps up the trading week with its quarterly numbers. Analysts see the department store chain earning just $0.82 a share during its holiday quarter, short of the $0.94 a share it came through with a year earlier.
Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz
