Macy's and Nordstrom to Open Near 52-Week Highs

Lots of stocks hit 52-week highs yesterday as the markets rose. Among them were department store operator Macy's (NYSE: M) and fashion retailer Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN), which reached $31.37 and $53.35 per share, respectively, in Monday's trading session.

Cincinnati-based Macy's reported strong quarterly results recently due in part to strong online sales at its namesake site and at Bloomingdales.com. The retailer also raised its full-year earnings guidance. The company operates some 850 stores in 45 states, Guam and Puerto Rico. Macy's has a market cap of $13.3 billion and was founded in 1820.

Macy's has a dividend yield of 1.3% and a return on equity of 19.4%. The P/E ratio is less than the industry average and its operating margins are higher than the industry average. The share price is about 28% higher than six months ago, and it has jumped almost 8% in the past week. The stock has outperformed competitors Dillard's (NYSE: DDS) and JCPenney (NYSE: JCP) over the past six months.

Nordstrom saw stronger sales in September than many of its competitors, and revenues are forecast to be 13% higher year-over-year in the current quarter. Nordstrom has also been a rumored takeover target. Seattle-based Nordstrom has a $11.2 billion market cap and operates more than 220 stores in 30 states that offer apparel, cosmetics and accessories.

The dividend yield is 0.9%. Nordstrom's P/E and PEG ratios are greater than the industry average, but so is the operating margin. The return on equity is 35.2%. The share price has increased more than 26% year to date and is up about 16% in the past month. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has outperformed competitors Macy's and Saks (NYSE: SKS).