Michael Lasser

The grocery sector changed nearly overnight after Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) entered the space through its acquisition of Whole Foods Market, Inc. Needless to say, investors are forgiven if they are nervous heading into Kroger Co (NYSE: KR)'s second-quarter earnings report on Friday....

By many measures, Best Buy Co Inc (NYSE: BBY) reported Tuesday an encouraging earnings report, yet the stock lost more than 11 percent by Tuesday afternoon. The move has many investors scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong. There are three reasons that may explain why investors aren'...

Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT) delivered both an earnings and sales beat in the second quarter while growing net e-commerce sales by 60 percent — yet, shares still managed to decline. The world’s largest retailer posted solid 1.8-percent comp growth in the quarter; comp traffic was 1.3...

Despite a solid earnings report this week from Home Depot Inc (NYSE: HD), shares have failed to deliver any meaningful gains as investor fears of the Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) effect proliferates nearly every retailer. Despite these fears, it may be short sighted to place those trepidations...

Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT)'s aggressive expansion in its online business will likely help continue the company's momentum when second-quarter earnings are announced on Thursday, analysts say. “While the broader retail backdrop has been choppy, we believe ongoing investments in...

Dicks Sporting Goods Inc (NYSE: DKS)’s peers had a rough quarter. Hibbett Sports, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIBB) and Cabelas Inc (NYSE: CAB) saw comp decreases of about 10 percent each, while Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation (NASDAQ: BGFV) posted significant deceleration in the category. By UBS...

Five Below Inc (NASDAQ: FIVE) is a standout in the retail sector at a time when many companies are lowering their footprint by closing stores Five Below is looking to open new ones. Five Below's status as a retail standout helped boost shares higher by nearly 15 percent since the start of 2017 but...

Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS)'s agreement to sell itself to Sycamore Partners for $10.25 per share or $6.9 billion "makes total sense," at least according to UBS analyst Michael Lasser. While the case could be made that Staples sold itself at a poor valuation, this may not be the case...

Despite a first quarter that saw comps up 9 percent, RH (NYSE: RH) (formerly Restoration Hardware) has a long path to improvement, according to the latest report from UBS. “The flowthrough on a decent top-line was not great. This trend will likely be maintained in the near term due to...

Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT) hit a new 52-week high and a first quarter earnings beat on Thursday. The retail giant’s core U.S. business saw 1.4-percent same-store sales growth in the quarter and traffic growth was up 1.5 percent, the best performance since fiscal year 2012. Quarter Print...

Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT)'s better-than-expected earnings report was more than good enough to boost the stock higher on Wednesday but fell short of winning over some Wall Street analysts. Speaking as a guest on CNBC's "Squawk Box" segment Wednesday morning, UBS's retail...

A bull-bear confrontation brewed following the release of mixed fourth-quarter results for Pier 1 Imports Inc (NYSE: PIR). While Loop Capital Markets, the bull in this scenario, expressed increasing confidence in the company's ability to drive top-line and earnings growth in the second half of...

Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ: WFM) shares surged Monday, rising by roughly 10 percent, after Jana Partners picked up a 8.3 percent stake in the company. Following the development, sell-side analysts sounded cautious about the move. Jana's Ownership Stake Doesn't Alter Fundamental Picture...

Investors were cheering Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY)'s fourth-quarter earnings report as the stock gained more than 5 percent Thursday. But not everyone on the Street is impressed, including UBS's Michael Lasser who maintains a Neutral rating on the company with an unchanged $41 price...