Investor Beat, Feb. 19, 2014
Panera Breadreported earnings today, and the market was generally pleased. Fourth-quarter profits were up, and the stock was up more than 3% on the news. However, the company lowered guidance for Q1 as well as for 2014 as a whole, citing bad weather this winter as the reason behind the reduced foot traffic the company experienced. Is that explanation to be believed, or are there other factors at stake here? On the lead story of Wednesday's Investor Beat, host Chris Hill and Motley Fool analyst Bill Barker take a look at Panera and its predictions for the year ahead.
Then, an analyst at Credit Suisse has come out with a report calling for Wal-Martto buy Family Dollar. While the company certainly has the financial means to do so, would the move even make sense for the business? Bill and Chris discuss how the move could actually fill in some key gaps in Wal-Mart's offerings both geographically and in terms of products. They also discuss Wal-Mart as a whole, and whether investors should continue to look at this stock as a growth story.
And finally, DirecTVreports earnings tomorrow, and while Motley Fool analyst Bill Barker expects that the numbers will be good, the real reason he'll be watching closely tomorrow will be to listen for the commentary around the Comcastmerger with Time Warner Cable, to see what insights can be gained about the new giant on the block.
Could the cable industry soon be dead and buried?
You know cable's going away. But do you know how to profit? There's $2.2 trillion out there to be had. Currently, cable grabs a big piece of it. That won't last. And when cable falters, three companies are poised to benefit. Click here for their names. Hint: They're not Netflix, Google, and Apple.
The article Investor Beat, Feb. 19, 2014 originally appeared on Fool.com.
Bill Barker owns shares of Apple and Google. Chris Hill has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple, DirecTV, Google, Netflix, and Panera Bread and owns shares of Apple, Google, Netflix, and Panera Bread. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't 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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