Why J.C. Penney's Shares Got Crushed

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of J.C. Penney (NYS: JCP) fell as much as 10% today, after announcing a massive third quarter loss.

So what: Revenue fell 26.6%, to $2.93 million in the quarter, and the company lost $123 million, or $0.56 per share. The worst part is that same-store sales fell 26.1%.

Now what: The only question is why shares didn't fall further? CEO Don Johnson tried to put a happy spin on the numbers, calling his company a start-up, in a way, but the reality is that the company is a dinosaur. I've never seen same-store sales numbers like that at such a big retailer, and I think this has "sell" written all over it. This stock is probably even a strong short candidate if you can find the shares to do it.

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The article Why J.C. Penney's Shares Got Crushed originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Travis Hoium has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. You can follow Travis on Twitter at @FlushDrawFool, check out his personal stock holdings, or follow his CAPS picks at TMFFlushDraw. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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