Kimco Realty Corporation (KIM), a real estate investment trust (REIT) operating the largest portfolio of neighborhood and community shopping centers in North America, has reported a decline in third quarter 2009 FFO (fund from operations) to $112.6 million or 30 cents per share from $176.9 million or 68 cents per share in the year-earlier quarter. Fund from operations, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs, is obtained after adding depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses to net income.  The year-over-year decrease in FFO was due to the negative impact of non-cash impairments and charges related to early debt repayment. Excluding the one-time charges, FFO for the quarter was $117.9 million or 31 cents per share compared to $182.8 million or 70 cents per share in the year-ago period.  Overall occupancy in Kimco’s combined shopping center portfolio was 92.4% at quarter end. In ...

Developers Diversified Realty Corp. (DDR), a real estate investment trust (REIT), reported relatively weak third quarter results, with FFO (fund from operations) of ($90.1) million or (54 cents) per share compared to $96.7 million or 80 cents per share in the year-earlier quarter. Fund from operations, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs, is obtained after adding depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses to net income. 
 The decrease in year-over-year FFO was primarily due to the non-recurring charges of $164.6 million primarily related to the non-cash impairment charges and non-cash loss related to the Otto investment. Excluding one-time charges, FFO in the third quarter was $74.5 million or 44 cents per share.

Despite challenging market conditions, Developers Diversified executed strong leasing activities during the quarter. The company signed 146 new leases and 287 renewal leases spanning over 0.7 million square feet and 1.9 million square

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For the first time in six months, retail sales ticked higher in August.

Granted, it wasn’t by much – a scant 0.7% higher than July. But it’s inevitable that consumers will eventually get back to their spending ways as this recession subsides.

And if you’re looking for a way to play it, consider hhgregg, Inc. (NYSE: HGG). Here’s why…

hhgregg, Inc: This Retailer is Bucking the Industry Trend

Based in Indianapolis, the hhgregg operates 111 retail stores selling consumer electronics and home appliances. Yes, I know that’s the same stuff you can get at your typical Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), Home Depot (NYSE: HD), or Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW).

But this company is hardly typical.

While most retailers are focused on survival, hhgregg’s in full-on attack mode. It’s not pinching pennies to stay afloat. It’s not reducing the workforce. It’s not closing underperforming stores, or mothballing expansion

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hhgregg, Inc. (NYSE: HGG): The Only Retail Stock Worth Buying Right Now

by Louis Basenese, Advisory Panelist

For the first time in six months, retail sales ticked higher in August.

Granted, it wasn’t by much – a scant 0.7% higher than July. But it’s inevitable that consumers will eventually get back to their spending ways as this recession subsides.

And if you’re looking for a way to play it, consider hhgregg, Inc. (NYSE: HGG). Here’s why…

hhgregg, Inc: This Retailer is Bucking the Industry Trend

Based in Indianapolis, the hhgregg operates 111 retail stores selling consumer electronics and home appliances. Yes, I know that’s the same stuff you can get at your typical Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), Home Depot (NYSE: HD), or Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW).

But this company is hardly typical.

While most retailers are focused on

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Best Buy Company Inc. (BBY) recently reported second quarter 2010 results, which included double-digit growth in the top-line, but a surprise double-digit drop in the bottom-line.

Best Buy's quarterly earnings of 37 cents per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 42 cents, and dropped 22.9% year-over-year from 48 cents.

Net earnings fell 21.8% to $158 million, due to the rise in cost of goods sold (up 12.4%), SG&A expenses (up 17.7%), higher effective tax rate (42.8% versus 37.3% in the year-ago quarter), and the strong dollar.

Best Buy has gradually gained market share after its main rival Circuit City went out of business. BBY's domestic market share rose 2.7% in the quarter.

Notebook computers, phones and flat-panel TVs were the strongest categories, but were offset by softness in gaming, digital cameras, music and movies.

Total revenue climbed 12.5% to $11,022 million, driven by the inclusion of Best Buy Europe's sales and the

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Housing Numbers: The Truth Behind It All

Ryan Cole, The Investment U Research Team

Continuing our series looking at the truth behind current economic data, today we turn to housing numbers.

Housing has been in the news lately, with a few “green shoots” of news. Most recently, home prices ticked upward last month, even though they’re down compared with a year ago. Many analysts are reading this as a sign that the worst is behind us, and we could be in for a quick recovery.

Don’t be so sure.

We Won’t Foreclose… For Now

First, there’s one important fact that most analysts have forgotten, or at least aren’t revealing.

That is, the six largest lenders – businesses like Citibank, Bank of America, etc – and Fannie and Freddie got together earlier this year and declared a three-month moratorium on foreclosures.

They all agreed,

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 14, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Ford (F), Toyota (TM), Best Buy (BBY), Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) and Walgreen (WAG).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Retail Sales Turning Tail

The government auto sales numbers (up 2.4% from June, following a 1.9% increase the previous month) were well below what was indicated by the unit sales numbers coming from auto companies like Ford (F), General Motors and Toyota (TM). However, the "Cash

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Retail sales in July were much lower than expected. Total sales fell by 0.1%, far below the 0.8% increase forecast by the consensus of economists and the 0.8% increase that was posted in June. The one piece of good news in the report was that the June number was revised up from a 0.6% increase. If autos are excluded, sales fell 0.6% versus the expected increase of 0.1% and well below the 0.5% increase in June (originally reported as up 0.3%). The government auto sales numbers (up 2.4% from June, following a 1.9% increase the previous month) were well below what was indicated by the unit sales numbers coming from auto companies like Ford (F), General Motors and Toyota (TM). However, the "Cash for Clunkers" surge was right at the end of the month, and some of those sales may show up in the August ...

Developers Diversified Realty Corporation (DDR), a leading real estate investment trust (REIT), reported relatively weak second quarter results, with FFO (fund from operations) of ($166.5) million or ($1.15) per share compared to $95.9 million or $0.79 per share in the year-earlier quarter. FFO, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs, is obtained after adding depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses to net income.  The decrease in year-over-year FFO was due to the non-recurring charges of $240.0 million primarily related to the impairment of assets. Excluding one-time charges, FFO in the second quarter of 2009 was $0.51 per share.  Despite challenging market conditions, Developers Diversified executed strong leasing activities during the quarter. The company signed 147 new leases and 259 renewal leases spanning over 0.9 million square feet and 2.2 million square feet, respectively. The core portfolio of the company was 90.7% leased ...

• Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) beat Street estimates, posting second quarter earnings of $1.15 per share, ex-items, four cents ahead of expectations, versus $1.18 a year ago, on revenues of $15.2 billion

• Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) reported second quarter earnings miss at 29 cents per share, 4 pennies off Street estimates of 33 cents, as revenues fell short of the $487.10 million target, posting at $474.9 million

• Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) warned of gross margin pressure in the second quarter, likely to generate only slight sequential revenue gains versus estimates of 1.6% growth.  Although asserting stabilization in its IT product demand y/y, the firm stated profits were affected by "the result of higher component costs, a competitive pricing environment, and an unfavorable mix of product and business-segment demand"

• CSX (NYSE:CSX) reported better-than-expected earnings of 72 cents a share from continuing operations, a dime ahead of estimates, versus 95 cents a year ago, despite a

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