Express Scripts, TJX Hit Highs
BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Stocks fell Thursday after weekly jobless claims rose and credit rating agencies said Greece's debt rating might be cut. These companies hit 52-week highs.
3. Limited Brands
(LTD)
rose 2.8% to $22.15, recording a high of $22.53 during the session. Shares of the women's apparel retailer have risen 19% during the past month.
The numbers
: Fourth-quarter profit multiplied 22-times to $356 million, or $1.08 a share, as revenue grew 2.4% to $3.1 billion. Limited Brands enjoyed a $23 million tax benefit related to reorganization of foreign subsidiaries in 2009. The operating margin rose from 13% to 19%.
The stock
: Limited Brands shares have more than doubled in the past year, outpacing major U.S. indices. The stock trades at a price-to-projected-earnings ratio of 13, a discount to specialty retail peers. Its PEG ratio, a measure of value relative to growth, of 0.1 indicates cheap shares. A PEG ratio of less than 1 implies that a stock is undervalued.
2. TJX
(TJX) - Get Report
climbed 3% to $41.74, hitting a high of $41.79. Shares of the discount retailer have increased 13% in the past month.
The numbers
: Fourth-quarter profit surged 58% to $395 million, or 94 cents a share, as revenue grew 10% to $5.9 billion. The operating margin widened from 7.1% to 11%. Quarterly return on equity, a measure of profitability, climbed to 42%.
The stock
: TJX has surged 81% during the past year, outperforming U.S. benchmarks. The stock commands a price-to-projected-earnings ratio of 12, a discount to peers. Its PEG ratio of 0.3 represents an 87% discount to the industry average.
1. Express Scripts
(ESRX)
jumped 8.5% to $95.23, touching $96.66. Shares of the pharmacy benefits manager have returned 11% during the past month.
The numbers
: Fourth-quarter net income increased 8% to $223 million, but earnings per share declined 3.6% to 80 cents. Revenue soared 49% to $8.2 billion. The company's operating margin narrowed from 6.4% to 5.5%. Express Scripts holds $1.1 billion of cash and $3.8 billion of debt.
The stock
: Express Scripts shares have gained 66% in the past year, beating major U.S. indices. The stock trades at a price-to-projected-earnings ratio of 15, a premium to health care services peers. Its PEG ratio of 0.6 reflects a 54% discount to the industry average.
-- Reported by Jake Lynch in Boston.