| Ticker symbol | Company | Price as of 8/5/02 | 52-week high | 52-week low | % price change last month | % price change year to date | Revenue per share T4Q | % total debt/total capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIRECT TO CONSUMER | ||||||||
| BL | Blair Corp. | $22.00 | $26.80 | $13.05 | (5.8) | (2.7) | $71.03 | 6.2 |
| CWTR | Coldwater Creek | 14.68 | 27.28 | 13.13 | (36.0) | (30.7) | 43.16 | 0 |
| FLWS | 1-800-Flowers.com | 5.45 | 17.86 | 5.33 | (36.3) | (65.1) | 7.29 | 11.9 |
| HNV | Hanover Direct | 0.21 | 0.54 | 0.19 | (16.0) | (43.2) | 2.64 | 43.9 |
| JILL | J. Jill Group | 19.41 | 27.5 | 6.8 | (11.9) | 35.2 | 15.57 | 13.5 |
| LVC | Lillian Vernon Corp. | 0.54 | 9.1 | 6.05 | (7.1) | (1.7) | 30.87 | 0 |
| SPGLA | Spiegel | 0.28 | 10.49 | 1.01 | (65.1) | (93.9) | 24.98 | 52.5 |
| DIRECT TO BUSINESS | ||||||||
| BBOX | Black Box Corp. | $32.29 | $58.77 | $32.09 | (17.0) | (38.9) | $33.01 | 25.2 |
| CDWC | CDW Computer Centers | 43.58 | 60 | 28.35 | 2.1 | (18.9) | 45.22 | 0 |
| HSIC | Henry Schein | 41.95 | 50.59 | 31.61 | (3.5) | 13.3 | 59.74 | 28.1 |
| MSM | MSC Industrial Direct | 15.5 | 24.36 | 13.9 | (16.9) | (21.5) | 11.28 | 0.4 |
| NEB | New England Business Service | 22.3 | 29.31 | 15.86 | (5.5) | 16.5 | 42.96 | 61.8 |
| PCCC | PC Connection | 4.27 | 17.79 | 3.83 | 13.4 | (71.2) | 44.59 | 5.1 |
| MALL | PC Mall | 2.8 | 5.1 | 1.61 | (22.6) | (31.0) | 68.16 | 4.1 |
| PFP | Premier Farnell | 5.48 | 10.1 | 4.58 | (23.3) | (37.4) | 4.39 | 72.3 |
| SCHS | School Specialty | 20.7 | 35.4 | 20.5 | (11.6) | (9.5) | 38.87 | 45.2 |
| SSPY | Sport Supply Group | 1.6 | 1.75 | 0.76 | 4.7 | 68.4 | 11.62 | 34.7 |
| TESS | Tessco Technologies | 10.9 | 18.96 | 7.65 | 8.7 | (36.4) | 56.21 | 31.6 |
| ZONS | Zones | 1.08 | 1.92 | 0.55 | (17.9) | 36.8 | 25.5 | 5.2 |
| Source: Financial Advisory Partners and company filings | ||||||||
When your best-performing consumer catalog stock suffered a nearly 6% drop in value, you know it’s been a bad month. And indeed, July was such a month. Among the direct-to-consumer mailers, Blair Corp. saw its per-share price drop the least. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Spiegel’s stock price plummeted more than 65% in July. In comparison, the S&P 500 fell 7.9% in July.
The disappointing performance of the consumer catalog stocks “reflected the market’s increasingly pessimistic view about the outlook for Christmas in the face of a weaker-than-expected recovery,” says Ken Packer, managing partner at Des Moines, IA-based Financial Advisory Partners, which tracks catalogers’ stock prices for Catalog Age. Another factor, he adds, was “the impact of the weak stock market on consumer spending plans.” The result: a vicious circle in which falling stock prices produce reduced consumer spending, which causes falling stock prices.
The business-to-business catalogers performed somewhat better. Four of the 12 companies tracked — PC Connection, Tessco Technologies, Sport Supply Group, and CDW Computer Centers — actually saw their stock price rise in July. PC Connection was the biggest winner, with its price increasing more than 13% during the month. The biggest loser was Premier Farnell, the parent company of Newark Electronics: Its stock lost more than 23% of its value.
During the first seven months of 2002, only five of the 19 catalogers tracked enjoyed an increase in their stock value: J. Jill Group (the lone consumer marketer), Henry Schein, New England Business Service, Sport Supply Group, and Zones.