After yesterday's fiscal third-quarter report, J. Crew Group (JCG) has now put together 5 straight quarters of EPS above the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

< ?DART(15);?> On the eve of Thanksgiving, shares of this Zacks #1 Rank Top Performer are up about 8.5%. Despite what is normally a slow session, volume today is north of 6.2 million shares, which is well above the daily average of 1.67 million.

This marks the second time in a little over a month that J. Crew Group is being featured as a Top Performer. It was last mentioned on Oct 22 after raising its outlooks for the fiscal third and fiscal fourth quarters. Click here to read that commentary.

Earnings estimates since that time are up a little bit, but the 20 covering analysts for this fiscal year and next have yet to take the most recent report into

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Limited Brands Inc. (LTD) reported results for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 with earnings of 2 cents per share. Earnings were below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 6 cents but were up 50% compared to the prior-year quarter.   Net sales for the quarter declined 3.5% year-over-year to $1.7 billion due to a 2% decline in comparable same store sales (comps).   According to channels, comparable same store sales of Victoria’s Secret channel contracted 4% as bra sales rose only modestly by low single-digits, while panties sales were down low single-digits. However, beauty sales were flat year-over-year as declines were fully offset by new launches and the strong performance of core products.   Bath & Body Works channel’s comparable store sales increased 2% during the quarter. The channel benefited from the improvement in the merchandise margin rate.   Gross margin for the quarter expanded 16 basis points

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Home Shopping Latino Inc., and a new Latino Shopping Network, the only network of its kind to service the exploding Latino market in the USA, with the on air name ViVa Telecompras, today announced an agreement with MadAmerican Exports, Inc. to import sapphires, rubies, emeralds, garnets, tourmaline and other precious gems from Madagascar, an Indian Ocean island nation off the coast of Africa known for being exceptionally rich in minerals and gemstones.

MadAmerican Exports CEO Biclair Andrianantoandro previously served as Director of Exports and Ministry of Commerce, as well as Deputy and Acting Ambassador of Madagascar to the United Nations and Deputy and Acting Ambassador of Madagascar to the United States.

Home Shopping Latino CEO Frank Celecia stated, “Mr. Andrianantoandro is well-known and well-respected by all political factions in Madagascar. He has held many official positions and assisted in the promotion

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Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

ATC Technology Corp (ATAC) Autoliv Inc (ALV) The Boston Beer Company Inc (SAM) Brigham Exploration Co (BEXP) Cymer Inc (CYMI) Deutsche Bank AG (DB) Expedia Inc (EXPE) Hanger Orthopedic Group Inc (HGR) Inergy Holdings LP (NRGP) ITT Corp (ITT) Joy Global Inc (JOYG) Limited Brands Inc (LTD) Lincoln Educational Services Corp (LINC) Lithia Motors Inc (LAD) Lorillard Inc (LO) Maidenform Brands Inc (MFB) Methode Electronics Inc (MEI) ...

Amid a challenging global retail environment, Limited Brands Inc. (LTD) was able to deliver better-than-expected second quarter 2009 results. Limited’s second quarter EPS (excluding one-time items) were 19 cents, well above the expected range of 11 cents to 16 cents, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 16 cents. However, EPS dipped 29.6% year over year compared to 27 cents in the prior-year quarter. For the third quarter of 2009, Limited now expects to report a net loss per share in the range of 7 cents to 12 cents. However, the company has raised its outlook for full-year 2009 earnings and now expects EPS in the range of 75-90 cents, up from 67-87 cents forecasted earlier. On a reported basis, EPS fell 23.3% to 23 cents from 30 cents reported in the prior-year quarter. Revenue for the quarter declined 9.5% to $2,066.6 million compared to $2,284.3 ...

Several key second-quarter earnings reports could either validate or undercut assertions that the U.S. economy is poised for recovery.

After the Commerce Department reported last week that retail sales fell 0.1% in July from June, and 8.3% year-over-year, retailers will stay in the limelight this week as several high-profile companies report second-quarter earnings. Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD), and Gap Stores (NYSE: GPS) are among the big-name retailers set to report.

Meanwhile, the Hewlett-Packard Co’s (NYSE: HPQ) report will provide a further glimpse into the world of technology, and The Home Depot Co.’s (NYSE: HD) results will confirm or counter claims that the recent housing rebound is for real.  On that note, the upcoming economic releases include July housing starts and existing home sales, while the wholesale inflation gauge may show that price pressures are not

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Limited Brands Inc. (LTD) was trading above its 200-day moving average of $11.72 this morning. The consensus estimate on the company's full-year earnings has gone up by a penny to 75 cents per share in the last week. Limited Brands is a Zacks#2 Rank ("Buy") stock.

"LTD" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?Zacks Investment Research

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

Alkermes Inc (ALKS) American Financial Group (AFG) Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc (BUD) Arrow Electronics Inc (ARW) Banco Macro SA (BMA) CARBO Ceramics Inc (CRR) Comverse Technology Inc (CMVT) Cyberonics Inc (CYBX) DXP Enterprises Inc (DXPE) Emergency Medical Services Corp (EMS) Glacier Bancorp Inc (GBCI) Gushan Environmental Energy Ltd (GU) Hewitt Associates Inc (HEW) KANA Software Inc (KANA) Limited Brands Inc (LTD) Mitsui & Co Ltd (MITSY) Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc (MFLX) Navios Maritime Holdings Inc (NM) NetScout Systems Inc (NTCT) NexMed Inc (NEXM) Packaging Corp of America (PKG) PepsiAmericas Inc (PAS) Petrobras Energia Participaciones SA (PZE) Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PBR) POSCO (PKX) Robbins & Myers Inc (RBN) Rock-Tenn Co (RKT) ...

There’s a lot of retail news out today, but one of the biggest gainers has been Limited Brands, Inc. (LTD). While the company has certainly felt the impact of this tough economic environment, the operator of Victoria’s Secret seems to be weathering the storm better than others.

Based on better-than-expected EPS for its fiscal second quarter, and a raised outlook for the full year; shares of LTD are up more than 13.5% today.

LTD’s “disciplined management of inventory and expenses” led to the solid quarter, which included an EPS surprise of 35% as its result of 27 cents beat the consensus at 20 cents. However, sales and same-store sales declined year over year.

The company now expects EPS of $1.45 to $1.60, excluding items, in 2008. LTD plans to fight unfavorable conditions by conservatively managing its financial aspects while building its brands through “compelling assortments and exciting store

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By William Patalon III Executive Editor Money Morning/The Money Map Report Although consumers and businesses have gotten a bit of a reprieve at the gas pump as of late, the escalation in oil prices we’ve seen over the past year has led to some major changes in overall consumer behavior. Many car-owners have dumped their gas-guzzling pickup trucks and SUVs at the nearest used-car lot and used the proceeds to buy some gas-sipping rides. Companies with large distribution networks have redesigned their shipping schedules, crafting more efficient routes that accommodated larger truckloads. The upshot: Gasoline sales tumbled during the first half of the year as domestic demand fell to its lowest level in five years.  In fact, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that Americans drove almost 5% less in June than a year ago, and also said that the buses, subways ...