Seeking Alpha: Belle International Fairly Popular Despite Some Core Weakness

It is certainly true that not all retail is the same and that has been quite clear over the last six months in China's retail sector. Food retailers like Sun Art (OTCPK:SURRY) and China Resources Enterprise (OTCPK:CRHKY) are struggling through weak same-store sales growth, but footwear and sportswear retailers like Belle (OTCPK:BELLY), Daphne (OTCPK:DPNEY), and ANTA Sports (OTCPK:ANPDY) are doing quite a bit better despite unimpressive same-store growth in the footwear business.

I have mixed feelings about Belle shares after this better than 10% move since my last update. I think Belle has a very good business (six of the top ten women's footwear brands in China and a long run of double-digit returns on capital), but management still has a lot of work to do with its online strategy. I'm also a little concerned about valuation, as the market seems to already be pricing in at least 8% annual free cash flow growth across the next decade.

Continue reading here:
Belle International Fairly Popular Despite Some Core Weakness

Seeking Alpha: China Dongxiang - A Sportswear Company That Doesn't Want To Make Sportswear

When you look overseas you often find some unusual, if not outright strange, stories. China Dongxiang Group (OTC:CDGXY) (3818.HK) may just take the cake, as this sportswear company apparently isn't very interested in being in the sportswear business.

Although China Dongxiang owns a relatively popular sportswear brand in China (Kappa), management no longer seems committed to building the brand. Instead, management likes to take the company's cash and invest in other companies and investment funds, most having little or nothing to do with sportswear. Apart from a small stake in Alibaba, management has shown no particular skill with these investments and it seems unlikely that they are going to pay out the surplus cash as a dividend or reinvest it into the business.

Read the full article here:
China Dongxiang - A Sportswear Company That Doesn't Want To Make Sportswear

Investopedia: Wolverine Surpassings Its Marks, But Not Cheap

It's not just well-run athletic shoe companies like Nike (NYSE:NKE) or Adidas (Nasdaq:ADDYY) that can reward shareholders. The shares of companies that fall more into the “lifestyle footwear” category like Brown Shoe (NYSE:BWS) and Wolverine (NYSE:WWW) have also done quite well over the past year, with the later clearly benefiting from the huge scale-up provided by the PLG acquisition. While I'll admit that underestimating Wolverine could be dangerous as it continues to surpass sell-side estimates, it's hard for me to see the value argument for these shares right now.

Please read the full article here:
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/070913/wolverine-surpassing-its-marks-not-cheap-www-bws-vfc-nke.aspx

Investopedia: Nike Stretches Its Lead

Chasing Nike (NYSE:NKE) in the footwear business has to be a frustrating exercise for the likes of Adidas (Nasdaq:ADDYY), Skechers (NYSE:SKX), and Puma. In good times and bad, Nike's unmatched commitment to marketing and product development translates into strong share, revenue, and profits. Should Nike ever make a similar commitment to leading the apparel market, who knows how much larger the company could get? In any case, Nike doesn't look cheap today, but then it so seldom does.

A Solid End To The Year
Nike brought the fiscal year to a good end with fourth quarter results. Revenue rose more than 7% as reported, or about 9% on a constant currency basis. Growth was led by the tiny equipment business (up over 10%), while footwear sales rose almost 7% and apparel was up 6%. While the North American market has remained a hot one for Nike (up 12%), China has turned positive again.

Please read more on Nike here:
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/062813/nike-stretches-its-lead-nke-addyy-ua-lulu.aspx

Investopedia: As One Problem Fades At lululemon athletica, Another One Emerges

Even the most patient investor in lululemon athletica (Nasdaq:LULU) has to be dreading earnings release dates from this fast-growing athletic apparel company. Not only does this stock experience the normal volatility that goes with high-growth/high-expectation names (“You missed comps by a half-point? Off with your head!”), but the announcement of a major product defect (see-through pants) and now the CEO resignation have added even more turmoil.

Through all of this, lululemon has remained an impressive growth story, but maybe the cracks are starting to appear and competitors are starting to up their games as well. While I'm solidly on board with the idea of picking up growth stocks on pullbacks that don't seem related to material events, the loss of a quality CEO seems pretty material to me. Consequently, I'd be careful about piling into lululemon with the idea that a quick rebound is guaranteed.

Please follow the link below to continue:
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/061113/one-problem-fades-lululemon-athletica-another-one-emerges-lulu-nke-ua-gps.aspx

Investopedia: Nike Continues To Just Do It

For Nike (NYSE:NKE) to perform as it has despite economic challenges in Europe, China, and the U.S. is a pretty strong testament both to the power of the brand, but also the company's commitment to product development. With a strong pipeline, signs of improvement in China, and the potential to recapture some lost gross margin, Nike could retest its 52-week high in the not-so-distant future. Nike isn't a terribly cheap or underrated stock, but strong financial performance could still translate into decent (or better) stock performance.

Click below to continue:
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/032213/nike-continues-just-do-it-nke-ua-dks-lulu-addyy.aspx

Investopedia: Have See-Through Pants Created An Opportunity In lululemon Shares?

For a stock with a take-no-prisoners valuation, the reaction to Lululemon Athletica's (Nasdaq:LULU) sizable product recall has been quite restrained. Even with a defective batch of the company's top product taking steam out of the first quarter's comp growth, this company is still growing and seeing good success in broadening its product offerings. While there is a limit to how many missteps customers will tolerate from a company selling premium-priced products, Lululemon has been relatively proactive and upfront in dealing with the issue. Although I still believe the growth expectations here are still pretty aggressive, investors who believe otherwise could see this as an opportunity to pick up shares.

Please follow the link for more:
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/032113/have-see-through-pants-created-opportunity-lululemon-shares-lulu-nke-vfc-gps-ltd.aspx

Investopedia: China's Sluggish, But Nike's Growing Well Everywhere Else

Nike (NYSE:NKE) gave investors a rare chance to pick up shares at a more reasonable price twice this year, but it looks like it's back to business as usual for the world's biggest footwear company. Although business in China remains sluggish, Nike's overall growth and margin profile continue to look quite strong.

Please follow this link for more:
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Chinas-Sluggish-But-Nikes-Growing-Well-Everywhere-Else-NKE-UA-LULU-VFC1228.aspx

Investopedia: lululemon Continues To Deliver High-Priced Performance

"Pay for performance" has long been a mantra on Wall Street, and it's a little harder to condemn athletic apparel maker lululemon athletica (Nasdaq:LULU) for its valuation when it continues to perform as well as it does. Not only does the company continue to move truly impressive quantities of premium-priced merchandise, but the company's cautious inventory and expansion philosophies mitigate some of the normal retailing risks. All of that said, investors aren't getting any bargains in these shares.

Read more here:
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Lululemon-Continues-To-Deliver-High-Priced-Performance-LULU-VFC-GPS-NKE1207.aspx

Investopedia: Should Huntsman Really Be Trading At Such A Discount?

Relative performance can be a tricky metric to use when assessing whether a particular company's stock is getting its due in the market; significant factors like debt, margins and management's competence all make a difference. Nevertheless, the valuation on Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) puzzles me a bit, especially in relation to other chemical companies such as Albemarle (NYSE:ALB), Ashland (NSYE:ASH), Dow (NYSE:DOW) and BASF (OTC:BASFY). Although Huntsman has not fully executed a transition to a specialty chemicals company and there is a lot of debt here, this could be an interesting name to watch.

Please click on this link for more:
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Should-Huntsman-Really-Be-Trading-At-Such-A-Discount-HUN-DOW-BA-NKE1003.aspx

Investopedia: China Still A Pebble In Nike's Shoe

The investment community seems to have locked on to Nike's (NYSE:NKE) "China problem," and this quarter's results aren't going to help. The good news is that investors can still take advantage of this situation to build a position in a stock that very rarely ever gets down to a fair price, let alone cheap. The bad news, however, is that results could slow in the interim and Wall Street is very much a "what have you done for me lately?" sort of business.

To read more, please follow this link:
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/China-Still-A-Pebble-In-Nikes-Shoe-NKE-ADDYY-VFC-LULU1001.aspx

Investopedia: The Long-Tail Value Of Supreme Brands

The way tech companies like Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL) and drug companies like Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) fight to defend their patents, you'd think that success in business is impossible unless you can lock up your best ideas behind walls of patents and copyrights. While these legal protections for innovation are indeed important, a host of companies have demonstrated that there are considerable rewards to be wrung from brands and reputations protected by little more than the consumer's ongoing preference for the real McCoy and the value of the trademark.

Please continue here:
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/The-Long-Tail-Value-Of-Supreme-Brands-APPL-KO-KNE-JNJ0925.aspx

Financial Edge: The Risky Business Of Courting LGBT Customers

Whether it's due to the rise of social media and the phenomenon of the immediate sharing of views and opinions or just an intensification of the "culture wars" that seem to occur everywhere throughout history, where we eat and shop now has more political and social overtones than ever before. In particular, companies are finding that they must be very careful in how they attempt to position themselves towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) customers.

Please continue here:
http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0812/The-Risky-Business-Of-Courting-LGBT-Customers.aspx#axzz25zQqlxm9

Investopedia: Bonkers Expectations May Still Be lululemon athletica's Biggest Challenge

It looks like the momentum trade is back "on" for lululemon athletica (Nasdaq:LULU) as investors cheered a solid second quarter and encouraging third quarter guidance. With lululemon's comps remaining in the double-digits and demand continuing to outstrip supply, the biggest challenge for this company may simply be living up to expectations. Although this remains one of the strongest-growing and most productive stories in retailing, valuation and expectations look more than a little breathless.

Please click the link for more:
http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Bonkers-Expectations-May-Still-Be-lululemon-athleticas-Biggest-Challenge-LULU-NKE-PVH-GPS0910.aspx

Investopedia: Will A Q4 Rebound Lift Atlas Air Worldwide?

China continues to sneeze, and it has given industrial stocks in North America and Europe a pretty nasty summer cold. That's bad news for air cargo carriers like FedEx (NYSE:FDX) and Atlas Air Worldwide (Nasdaq:AAWW), which depend on strong cargo demand to and from Asia. While overall industrial demand in China is not looking strong yet, nor are current cargo trends in Hong Kong, there may yet be reasons to think that stronger demand late in the year can lift shares of Atlas Air.

Continue here for more:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Will-A-Q4-Rebound-Lift-Atlas-Air-Worldwide-AAWW-FDX-UPS-AAPL0822.aspx

Investopedia: Bull Vs. Bear - Olympic Advertising Is A Waste Of Shareholders' Money

Question: Are the Olympics worth the money spent on marketing by corporate sponsors?

Bear's Response
Commercial sponsorship is a huge part of the "Olympic experience." Not only do corporate sponsors go a long way toward defraying the cost of an Olympics, but "in kind" payment of services and products can make the games run more smoothly. The question, though, is whether these companies get an adequate return on their money. I believe they do not.

Continue here:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Bull-Vs.-Bear-Olympic-Advertising-Is-A-Waste-Of-Shareholders-Money-MCD-KO-NKE-UPS0724.aspx

Investopedia: A Small Miss Means Little for The Long Term At Wolverine

Starting around September of this year, the next couple of years at Wolverine (NYSE:WWW) could be very interesting. The billion dollar-plus acquisition of Collective Brands' (NYSE:PSS) Performance and Lifestyle Group holds the promise of transforming the company from a high-return/low-growth cash-farmer into a company that produces both robust returns and solid growth. Against that backdrop, a two-cent miss in quarterly earnings just doesn't seem like a big deal and this looks like a stock that could still be an attractive buy today.

Please click here for more:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/A-Small-Miss-Means-Little-For-The-Long-Term-At-Wolverine-WWW-PSS-VFC-NKE0711.aspx

Investopedia: Do Nike's Earnings Have Broader Meaning On China?

Nike (NYSE:NKE) is often as near as what comes to a bulletproof stock - the company's brand is known all over the world, management runs the company with high efficiency and results are generally reasonably predictable. Occasionally, a little gap in the armor appears and patient investors have an opportunity to buy shares at a reasonable price. Nowadays it looks like Nike's "China problem" may be just such a gap.

Click here for more:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Do-Nikes-Earnings-Have-Broader-Meaning-On-China-NKE-UA-KO-YUM0704.aspx

Investopedia: lululemon Chooses "Jam Tomorrow"

"The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday - but never jam to-day." - Lewis Carroll

It's tempting for a company to pull out the stops and grab all the money that it can whenever it can. Smart companies, though, realize that being overly aggressive in the short term can cause bigger problems. To that end, lululemon athletica's (Nasdaq:LULU) decision to focus less on maximizing current sales, in lieu of rolling out fresh product, may be a decision that compromises near-term growth, but keeps the brand healthier over the long term.

Click here for the full article:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/lululemon-Chooses-Jam-Tomorrow-LULU-NKE-LTD-ANN-AEO0611.aspx

Investopedia: Nike Running Away From Everything

When companies with great brands go on runs, all you can really do is hang on for the ride (if you own shares) or wait in the hopes of a stumble somewhere down the line (if you don't). By no means is Nike (NYSE:NKE) cheap right now, but it's hard to fault a huge global leader that is growing by double-digits and could yet double revenue over the next decade (if not sooner).

Another Good Quarter ... Mostly  
Although it wasn't a flawless fiscal third quarter, on the whole Nike did a very good job and business is strong. Revenue rose 15%, as the company logged double-digit sales in all of its major categories. Sales to North America (the largest region) rose 17%, while sales to China rose over 25%, despite a somewhat sluggish performance in apparel.

Please read more here:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Nike-Running-Away-From-Everything-NKE-FL-VFC-LULU-UA0326.aspx