Seeking Alpha: Expensive And Hard To Own, Natura Cosmeticos Is Still A Great Brazil Play

Brazil may be a popular topic in international investing, but it's actually not all that easy to invest in some of the best Brazilian growth stories. Such is the case with Natura Cosmeticos (NUACF.PK). Natura is a true Brazilian success story and a fantastic play on the Brazilian consumer, but the U.S. ADR has virtually no liquidity and Brazil is an "institutions only" market for foreign investors. That said, there are readers who can buy these shares and even if you cannot own Natura today, it's a stock well worth following if you want to know more about what's going on in Brazil beyond the government-reported statistics.

Read more here:
Expensive And Hard To Own, Natura Cosmeticos Is Still A Great Brazil Play

Investopedia: Control May Be Herbalife's Real Long-Term Problem

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) has gotten knocked around hard lately, as well-known investor David Einhorn has apparently taken some interest in the company and asked some fairly pointed questions. Although I don't agree with those who have interpreted his questions as implying that there is any sort of pyramid scheme at work, that doesn't mean that there aren't inherent issues with the Herbalife model. While there is likely to be sustained ongoing demand for the sort of supplements that Herbalife sells, I wonder whether Herbalife's model takes too much of the company's growth potential out of its own hands.

Please read more here:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Control-May-Be-Herbalifes-Real-Long-Term-Problem-HLF-MED-VSI-ARNA-VVUS-AVP0604.aspx

Seeking Alpha: Little Wrong With Herbalife Other Than Its Valuation

The devil's bargain between Wall Street and growth stocks goes a little something like this: “You give us exactly the growth we expect or more (but never less!) and we'll support extreme valuations that your cash flow probably can't support”. There's also an “or else” attached – if a company disappoints even slightly, there's an outsized price to pay.

Honestly, that's about the only context in which Herbalife (NYSE: HLF) is really disappointing anyone, and perhaps shareholders can count themselves lucky that the stock isn't down even worse against a backdrop of a pretty ugly tape.

More Growth In Q3

Herbalife's growth is almost hard to believe. Apparently there really is gold in guarana, protein shakes, and the other assorted supplements and “solutions” that the company offers through its army of over 2 million independent sellers.

To read the full piece at Seeking Alpha, click here:
Little Wrong With Herbalife Other Than Its Valuation

Investopedia: Waiting For A Clearance Sale On Ulta

As investors in retailers like Talbots (NYSE:TLB) or American Eagle (NYSE:AEO) can easily attest, this is not the easiest environment for retail. Oh true, conditions are better now than a year or two ago, but retailers really need to offer something distinctive in terms of product selection, pricing or shopping experience to draw in the crowds.

To that end, Ulta (Nasdaq:ULTA) seems to have hit on an attractive and differentiated concept - a beauty and personal care superstore format that is competitive on pricing while offering a wide selection and pleasant environment. Like lululemon (Nasdaq:LULU) and its own differentiated products and branding, Ulta is carving out an impressive growth trajectory while many of its rivals are struggling to hold on to what they have.



Keeping up the Momentum in Q1
Ulta's fiscal first quarter showed no slowdown in the company's momentum. Sales were up almost 21% on a reported basis, with same-store sales up more than 11%. There is a decided lack of direct comps to Ulta (one of the positives in the company's thesis), but anecdotal from the likes of Macy's (NYSE:M), Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN) and Kohl's (NYSE:KSS) would suggest that Ulta's performance is quite a bit stronger than the average department store cosmetics counter.


To read the full piece, please follow the link:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/Waiting-For-A-Clearance-Sale-On-Ulta-ULTA-LULU-M-JWN-WAG-AVP-SBH0608.aspx