| Ticker symbol | Company | Price as of 4/2/04 | Total return 1 month | Total return year to date | Total return 12 months | Relative strength vs. S&P 500 12 months | Return on capital past year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIRECT TO CONSUMER | |||||||
| FLWS | 1-800 Flowers.com | $10.77 | 4.4% | (5.1%) | 52.2% | 2.9 | 7.0% |
| BL | Blair Corp. | 27.10 | 1.8 | 12.4 | 20.4 | (16.7) | 3.4 |
| CWTR | Coldwater Creek | 23.02 | 9.1 | 94.2 | 218.5 | 144.1 | 5.0 |
| HNV | Hanover Direct | 0.25 | (10.7) | 13.6 | 13.6 | (18.0) | (26.8) |
| JILL | J. Jill Group | 21.56 | 28.1 | 69.4 | 89.7 | 29.3 | 4.1 |
| MBAY | MediaBay | 0.62 | (34.4) | (44.6) | (29.1) | (49.7) | (7.6) |
| SPGLQ | Spiegel | 0.14 | 55.6 | 154.6 | 55.6 | 24.4 | (31.1) |
| DIRECT TO BUSINESS | |||||||
| BBOX | Black Box Corp. | $56.17 | 7.8% | 22.6% | 86.0% | 24.7 | 6.4% |
| CDWC | CDW Corp. | 68.1 | (4.5) | 18.4 | 68.0 | 16.4 | 13.6 |
| HSIC | Henry Schein | 74.41 | 3.7 | 9.0 | 70.5 | 11.2 | 7.8 |
| MSM | MSC Industrial Direct Co. | 31.88 | 7.9 | 16.2 | 81.6 | 34.7 | 8.7 |
| NEB | New England Business Service | 34.95 | 6.8 | 19.5 | 43.8 | (5.9) | 3.7 |
| PCCC | PC Connection | 7.94 | (8.7) | (3.0) | 53.6 | 6.0 | 2.7 |
| MALL | PC Mall | 20.75 | 35.4 | 28.8 | 563.5 | 319.5 | 4.4 |
| PFP | Premier Farnell | 9.35 | (3.3) | 15.2 | 95.0 | 22.6 | 9.0 |
| SCHS | School Specialty | 36.30 | 4.5 | 6.9 | 103.2 | 45.2 | 5.3 |
| SSPY | Sport Supply Group | 1.25 | 4.1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| TESS | Tessco Technologies | 12.79 | (5.1) | (10.7) | 77.2 | 26.4 | 1.6 |
| ZONS | Zones | 3.26 | 3.5 | 92.4 | 313.9 | 163.8 | -1.9 |
Americans are spending, and retail and catalog stocks are rising as a result. February retail sales (excluding automobiles) were up 10% from the previous year, notes Ken Packer, managing partner of Des Moines, IA-based Financial Advisory Partners. February sales for what the U.S. Commerce Department calls nonstore retailing rose somewhat less — 7.6% — “due to the strength in home-related products” Packer says, “which are typically not as well represented in the direct consumer channel as apparel, for example.”
The business catalogers have “enjoyed a stronger and more stable marketplace over the past 12 months,” Packer continues. For the past 12 months, the value of the b-to-b stocks rose 92% compared with 61% for the consumer catalogers. Year-to-date, though, the consumer stocks have been stronger, up 37% compared with 14% for the b-to-b stocks, “as the consumer retail business has shown strong results over a weak year-earlier period,” he explains.
The biggest gainer in March, percentage-wise, was Spiegel, but the bankrupt company still ended the month at $0.14 a share. PC Mall had the next-greatest gain, up 35.4% to close at $20.75 a share. The computer reseller also gave the greatest return for the previous 12 months, increasing its value 563.5%.