Retail Winners & Losers: eBay, J. Crew

NEW YORK (TheStreet) - Retail shares were trending higher Thursday afternoon, led by monster mover J.Crew(JCG Quote).

The S&P Retail Index rose 1.1% to 387.43, as J.Crew shares soared 13.4% to $42.80 after the company upped its full-year forecast. The specialty retailer said it sees signs of sales and margin improvement, as shoppers appear more willing to spend money on new fashions.

The company now expects earnings in the range of 54 cents to 59 cents a share, up from a prior forecast of 30 cents to 33 cents.

Crew Grew!

Department-store stocks were outperforming those of other retailers, with shares of Macy's(M Quote) jumping 3% to $19.45, Sears(SHLD Quote) increasing 3.2% to $73.39, Kohl's(KSS Quote) rising 2% to $59.79 and J.C. Penney(JCP Quote) growing 1.3% to $36.47.

Other notable gainers Thursday afternoon included shares of Aeropostale(ARO Quote), which advanced 4.6% to $42.93; American Eagle Outfitters(AEO Quote), which gained 2.6% to $19.49; OfficeMax(OMX Quote), which was up 4.6% to $12.92; and Office Depot(ODP Quote), which rose 3.4% to $7.33.

Not every retail stock was moving higher Thursday. Online auctioneer eBay(EBAY Quote) saw its stock price tumble 4.6% to $23.90 in afternoon trading.

The company on Wednesday reported third-quarter earnings that plunged 29% from a year ago and provided a fourth-quarter outlook at the low-end of analysts' forecast.

Wal-Mart Stores(WMT Quote), meanwhile, continued its stock-price losing streak, as day two of its annual meeting wore on. So far, the discounter has said it will lower prices across categories during the holiday season, both at its namesake stores and at Sam's Club.

Thursday afternoon, Wal-Mart shares were down 0.4% to $50.43.

Elsewhere, shares of Rite Aid(RAD Quote) fell 4.9% to $1.36. Earlier this week, the drugstore said it refinanced its near-term debt, though its leveraged balance sheet remains a problem.

-Reported by Jeanine Poggi in New York.

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