(ANF)

On average, Wall Street analyst anticipated a 26.6% same-store sales drop in June. Same-store sales are considered a key indicator of a retailer’s health, since they measure the performance of stores open at least one year.

Net sales in the five-week period ended July 4 plummeted 26% to $230.4 million, compared with $309.7 million in the same period last year.

Year-to-date same-store have fallen 30%, while total sales declined 24% to $1.03 billion.

Abercrombie shares fell 96 cents, or -4%, in afternoon trading Thursday.

The Bottom Line
We have been avoiding shares of ANF since our early JUne coverage began, and the stock was trading at $67.37. The company has a dividend yield of 2.92%, based on last night’s closing stock price of $24.00. The stock has technical support in the $17-20 price area. If the shares can rebound from this bad news, we see overhead resistance around the $27-30 price levels. We would remain on the sidelines for now.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

(PSA)

The analyst also set a $57 price target on PSA shares, which closed on Wednesday at $63.42.

KBW said that although PSA has outperformed its peers, that it sees continued softness in the public storage sector.

Public Storage shares fell 45 cents, or -0.7%, in afternoon trading Thursday.

The Bottom Line
We have avoided shares of PSA since our early June coverage began last year, when the stock was trading at $85.73. The company has a dividend yield of 3.47%, based on last night’s closing stock price of $63.42. The stock has technical support in the $57-60 price area. If the shares can firm up, we see overhead resistance around the $70 price levels. We would remain on the sidelines for now.

Public Storage (PSA) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

(TGT)

On average, Wall Street analysts expected a smaller same-store sales decline of 5.6%. Same-store sales are considered a key indicator of a retailer’s health, since they measure the performance of stores open at least one year.

Total net sales for June declined 3% to $5.69 billion, while year-to-date same-store sales are down 4.7%. Total year-to-date net sales edged down less than 1% to $24.51 billion.

Target shares rose $1.51, or +4%, in afternoon trading Tuesday.

The Bottom Line
We have avoided shares of TGT since our early June coverage began, when the stock was trading at $52.52. The company has a 1.83% dividend yield, based on last night’s closing stock price of $37.26. The stock has technical support in the $33-35 price area. If the shares can continue the recent run up, we see overhead resistance around the $45-49 price levels. We would remain on the sidelines for now.

Target Corporation (TGT) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

(TJX)

On average, Wall Street analysts had expected the company’s June same-store sales to fall by 0.6%. Same-store sales are considered a key indicator of a retailer’s health, since they measure the performance of stores open at least one year.

The company, which operates the TJ Maxx and Marshall’s discount chains, has benefited from the economic recession, as cost-conscious consumers flock to its stores in search of deals on clothing and home goods.

TJX said that total net sales for the five-week period ended July 4 also gained 4%, to $1.84 billion. Year-to-date same-store sales are up 3%, with net sales in the same period rising 2% to $7.68 billion. The company also raised its second quarter earnings forecast based on the better-than-expected sales figures

TJX shares rose $1.15, or +3.7%, in afternoon trading Thursday.

The Bottom Line
We had removed shares of TJX from our “Recommended” list on Sept.17, when the stock was trading at $34.22. The company has a 1.54% dividend yield, based on last night’s closing stock price of $31.10. The stock has technical support in the $27-30 price area. If the shares can gain momentum from this morning’s news, we see overhead resistance around the $34-37 price levels. We would remain on the sidelines for now.

The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

(JCP)

On average, Wall Street analysts had expected same-store sales to drop by 9.3%. Same-store sales are a key indicator of a retailer’s health, since they measure the performance of stores open at least one year.

J.C. Penney narrowed its loss estimate for the second quarter, saying it now expects a loss of 8 to 12 cents per share, compared with a previous forecast for a loss of 15 to 25 cents per share.

It also reduced its second quarter same-store sales decline estimate to 9.5% to 10.5%, compared to a prior outlook for a 9% to 12% decline.

Total net sales for the five-week period ending July 4 fell 6.7% percent to $1.5 billion. The company said it sees same-store sales in July to fall by 13% to 16%.

J.C. Penney shares fell $1.34, or -4.9%, in early afternoon trading Thursday.

The Bottom Line
We had removed shares of JCP from our “Recommended” list back on Sept.22, when shares were trading at $38.11. The company has a 2.91% dividend yield, based on last night’s closing price of $27.53. The stock has technical support in the $24-25 price area. If the shares can firm up, we see overhead resistance around the $32-33 price levels. We would remain on the sidelines for now.

J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (JCP) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.