Same-Store Sales: The Good News (Update)

Lost amid the hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth over today's May same-store sales results, there were a few winners to be found amid the glut of losers.

For the most part the retail sector was awash with disappointing news, as chain sales declined 4.6% during the month compared with last year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

A bevy of companies missed Wall Street's expectations, including Gap(GPS), Limited Brands(LTD), Costco Wholesale(COST)and Target(TGT).

The bad news was attributable to difficult comparisons, as retailers struggled against a $50 billion Federal tax rebate distributed to shoppers in May and June last year.

The weaker-than-expected results sent the S&P Retail Index tumbling 3% to 330.16 in afternoon trading.

But for all of those negative Nancys, there were a handful of companies that actually posted positive numbers that far exceeded forecasts.

Among the best performers were teen retailers Aeropsotale(ARO) and Buckle(BKE), as well as off-pricers Ross Stores(ROST) and TJX(TJX).

Aeropostale reported a 19% jump in same-store sales, surpassing analysts' expectations of 10.7% growth, while Buckle's increased by 13%. Analysts forecast comps of 11.2% increase for the company.

And value clearly continues to resonate with shoppers. TJX saw a 5% increase in May sales, beating Wall Street's target of 3.6%. The company also reaffirmed its second-quarter outlook in the range of 43 cents to 49 cents a share.

Discount rival Ross Stores rose 4%, topping analysts' expectations of a 2.9% increase.

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