Top 5 Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Top 5 Retail Stocks To Inv est In Right Now: Pier 1 Imports Inc (PIR)

Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (Pier 1 Imports), incorporated in April 30, 1986, is a global importer of imported decorative home furnishings and gifts. As of March 2, 2013, the Company had 1,062 stores in the United States and Canada. During the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013 (fiscal 2013), the Company opened 22 new Pier 1 Imports stores and closed 12 stores. The Company operates regional distribution center facilities in or near Baltimore, Maryland; Columbus, Ohio; Fort Worth, Texas; Ontario, California; Savannah, Georgia, and Tacoma, Washington. The specialty retail operations of the Company consist of retail stores and e-Commerce operations conducting business under the name Pier 1 Imports, which sell a range of furniture, decorative home furnishings, dining and kitchen goods, candles, gifts and other specialty items for the home.

As of March 2, 2013, the Company operated 982 Pier 1 Imports stores in the United States and 80 Pier 1 Imports stores in Canada. During fiscal 2013, the Company supplied merchandise and licensed the Pier 1 Imports name to Grupo Sanborns, which sold Pier 1 Imports merchandise primarily in a store within a store format in 49 Sears Mexico stores and one store in El Salvador. The stores consist of freestanding units located near shopping centers or malls and in-line positions in major shopping centers. Pier 1 Imports operates in all major United States metropolitan areas and many of the primary smaller markets.

Decorative Accessories

This merchandise group constitutes the range of category of merchandise in Pier 1 Imports sales mix. These items are imported primarily from Asian and European countries, as well as some domestic sources. This merchandise group includes decorative accents, lamps, vases, dried and artificial flowers, baskets, ceramics, dinnerware, bath and fragrance products, candles, seasonal and gift items.

Furniture

This me! rchandise group cons ists of furniture and furniture cushions to be used in livin! g, dining, office, kitchen and bedroom areas, sunrooms and on patios. Also included in this group are wall decorations and mirrors. These goods are imported from a variety of countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Brazil, Thailand, China, the Philippines, India and Indonesia, and are also obtained from domestic sources. This merchandise group is made of metal or handcrafted natural materials, including rattan, pine, beech, rubberwood and selected hardwoods with either natural, stained, painted or upholstered finishes.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  The Q1 2014earning report for furniture retailer Williams-Sonoma, Inc (NYSE: WSM), a peer of stocks like Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (NASDAQ: BBBY), Pier 1 Imports Inc (NYSE: PIR) and Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc (NYSE: RH), is scheduled for after the market closes onWednesday. Aside from the Williams-Sonoma's earnings report, it should be said that Bed Bath & Beyond Inc reported Q4 2013 earnings on April 9 and will report Q1 2014 earnings on June 23rd; Pier 1 Imports Inc reported Q4 2014 earnings on April 10 and will report Q1 2014 earnings around June 16th; and Restoration Hardware Holdings reported Q4 2013 earnings on March 27 and will report Q1 2014 earnings on June 2nd. However and unlike many other retailers,Williams-Sonoma is going into the first quarter after having a great holiday season.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  My first earnings short-squeeze trade idea is Pier 1 Imports (PIR), a global importer of imported decorative home furnishings and gifts, which is set to release numbers on Thursday before the market opens. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Pier 1 Imports to report revenue of $404.64 million on earnings of 21 cents per share.

  Just recently, Argus said the recent pullback in shares of Pier 1 Imports is providing an attractive entry point, and the firm reiterated its buy rating on the! stock wi! th a $27 per share price target. The firm believes that Pier 1 Imports should hold up well in a promotional and competitive environment.

  The current short interest as a percentage of the float Pier 1 Imports stands at 5%. That means that out of the 97.51 million shares in the tradable float, 4.90 million shares are sold short by the bears. If the bulls get the earnings news they're looking for, then shares of PIR could jump sharply higher post-earnings as the bears rush to cover some of their bets.

  From a technical perspective, PIR is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending for the last month, with shares moving higher from its low of $20.59 to its intraday high of $23.23 a share. During that uptrend, shares of PIR have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of PIR within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade post-earnings.

  If you're bullish on PIR, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $23.50 to $24 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.25 million shares. If that breakout hits, then PIR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $25.28 a share. Any

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-5-retail-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now.html