United Online (UNTD) is a sort of "mini-conglomerate" with three lines of business. The first, FTD, markets floral and gift products over the internet (www.ftd.com) and through a toll-free telephone number (1-800-SEND-FTD), and these orders are then fulfilled by one of the company's large network of local florists. While FTD is a U.S. concern, the subsidiary also has a similar business in the U.K. and Ireland known as Interflora. FTD provided 57% of United Online's revenue in the most recent quarter and was only acquired by the company a year ago.

The second line is the online social networking and loyalty marketing, namely Classmates (www.classmates.com) and MyPoints (www.mypoints.com). Classmates is a 50 million strong social network organized mainly by academic institutions attended. While most members just list their information with a free account, a paid account is required to contact former acquaintances. MyPoints is a "pay to click" site where people get points towards rewards for taking surveys, responding to email offers, and so forth. This business segment delivers around 22% of total revenues.

F4Q09 (Qtr End 06/28/2009) Earnings Call

August 20, 2009 11:00 am ET

Background: Last year, New York started requiring certain out-of-state online vendors to collect and pay New York sales tax on purchases made by New York residents. This has become known as the “Amazon tax,” because Amazon (AMZN) was one of the high profile sites affected and embroiled in the ensuing controversy.

In order to impose sales tax collection requirements on out-of-state vendors, New York had to get around the 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Quill v. North Dakota (504 U.S. 298 (1992)), which held that out-of-state retailers cannot be required to collect sales tax on sales to persons in states where the retailer does not have a physical presence, because requiring merchants to adhere to the complexities of the state and local tax codes would place an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce.

F3Q09 (Qtr End 29/03/09) Earnings Call

April 30, 2009 11:00 am ET

This week is all about damage control, especially related to the big bad AIG bonus blunder. Treasury Secretary Geithner will attempt to divert attention from that whole mess by releasing the details of his toxic financial asset program at the start of the week. However, on Tuesday, both Geithner and Bernanke are scheduled to testify before the bloodthirsty House Financial Services Committee. The President hopes to limit public perception damage by appearing on prime time television that same evening. We're guessing he intends to clear up the impending massacre of Geithner before the media feeding frenzy begins. Talk about pulling out all stops - President Obama will have made three unconventional television appearances within the course of a week, and that's not to mention his NCAA Tournament bracket selection show...

The President is doing all he can to keep his new Treasury Secretary propped up through a barrage of criticism that began almost from the moment of his selection for the role. For the life of me, I can't see why anyone would accept any Administration position now that deals with financial or economic matters.

The days leading up to Valentine’s Day are some of the busiest for online floral retailers (only Mother’s Day is busier). Big money is required to remain competitive in this market. Both 1800-Flowers.com (FLWS) and ProFlowers.com appeared on the homepage of Yahoo! (YHOO) the week prior to Valentine’s Day and Teleflora.com aired a TV spot during the Super Bowl. In the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, each of the top four online floral retailers (1800-Flowers.com, FTD.com, ProFlowers.com, and Teleflora.com) saw a major increase in traffic. ProFlowers.com claimed the biggest spike in weekly visitors, increasing 423% in the first two weeks of February.

When looking at Share of Voice (the percent of visits within the competitive set) over the first two weeks of February, FTD.com and ProFlowers.com stand tall with 40% and 30% of visits, respectively. However, when also considering the Share of Wallet (the percent of purchases made within the competitive set) over the same timeframe, ProFlowers.com clearly separates itself. They accounted for 54% of all the purchases made at one of these four retailers.

The numbers from the long weekend are in, and certain websites got some serious love over Valentine's Day weekend, despite the recession. ScanSafe reports that traffic to popular floral and online dating sites grew dramatically over last year.

The National Retail Federation predicted total Valentine's Day spending would fall 14 percent, but that didn't hurt online traffic.

Since one data point does not make a trend, the financial markets largely ignored the retail sales figures; however, the markets have overlooked the fact that watching Paula Abdul hawk jewelry on TV is becoming a bigger part of our economy. Non-store retail sales increased, and continued its trend of becoming a larger part of total retail sales. Non-store retail sales are the tally of all sales that do not involve going to a mall or stores; it measure sales from mail order catalogs, the internet, door to door vendors, and telephone sales (i.e. watching Paula Abdul on HSN and dialing in your order).

This category has held up better than general retail sales, and is doing better then it did during the 2001 recession. From peak to trough non-store, retail sales fell 12.27% during 2000-2001, while during this recession they have fallen only 7.5%. Total retail sales have fallen 11.20% from the June 2008 peak to the December 2008 low. Interestingly, in December of 2000, non-store retail sales were 5.98% of total retail sales and by November 2001, they had fallen to 5.18%. However, during the current recession non-store retail sales have increased as a percentage of total sales. In December 2007 (the NBER official start of the recession), non-store sales were 6.87% of total sales, while in January 2009 non-store sales increased to 7.49% of the total - an all-time high.

February 14 is Valentine's Day, so if you haven't done the shopping for your sweetheart, then you better get started. How about a gift of some shares in companies that may participate in sales of Valentines Day related products? Here are some stocks that can benefit from from this popular day, including chocolate, flowers, jewelry, greeting cards, and gift wrap.

Hershey (HSY), founded in 1894, is the largest manufacturer of chocolate in North America and one of the largest chocolate and candy companies in the world. Hershey's Kisses were invented in 1901. Hershey chocolate chips were introduced in 1928. The stock has a P/E of 27, with a favorable yield of 3.2%.

F2Q09 (Qtr End 12/28/08) Earnings Call

January 29, 2009 11:00 AM ET

With the quarterly earnings season winding down, we at eChristianInvesting take this opportunity to look back at how e-commerce companies performed against Wall Street’s expectations.

It was pretty tough to find any real winners in the e-commerce sector this quarter. Shutterfly (SFLY) and 1-800 Flowers (FLWS) did manage to beat reduced analyst estimates, but even they reduced their guidance expectations. There were certainly plenty of losers though – with VistaPrint (VPRT) and Bidz (BIDZ) leading the way. The common theme even among all retailers was that the economy was getting much tougher and they were reducing guidance as a result.

Who says all retailers are suffering? On its FQ1'09 conference call, 1-800 Flowers seems to have a pretty rosy outlook. Kidding themselves or do they know something we don't?

F1Q09 (Qtr End 09/30/08) Earnings Call Transcript

October 23, 2008, 11:00 am ET

• Writedowns, trading losses for Credit Suisse. Credit Suisse (CS) reported a Q3 net loss of 1.26B Swiss francs ($1.08B), its second consecutive quarterly loss, as compared to a profit of 1.3B francs a year ago. The loss stemmed from writedowns on leveraged loans and mortgage-backed securities as well as roughly 1.7B francs of trading losses. CEO Brady Dougan, calling the markets 'very challenging,' warned he's 'cautious' on the outlook for Q4. Shares -3.1% in Swiss trading, bringing the stock to a 34% decline this year.
• Darker forecast for Sony. Sony (SNE) cut its fiscal year profit outlook in half, saying a strong yen and the global slowdown would hurt earnings. The Tokyo-based company, with over 75% of its revenue generated overseas, is particularly vulnerable to foreign exchange moves and a strengthened yen has hurt its exports. The company now expects fiscal year operating profit of ¥200B ($2.05B), 57% less than its July forecast of ¥470B, with full-year net profit of ¥150B, a 38% reduction. The diminished outlook comes just as Sony was beginning to show improvement in its videogame and TV businesses, and had completed a three-year restructuring plan.
• Good news from Nestle. Nestle (NSRGY.PK) posted a better-than-expected rise in nine-month sales to 81.4B Swiss francs ($69.75B) vs. a forecast of 81.07B francs. Adjusting for currency effects and acquisitions, underlying sales rose a strong 8.9% vs. an 8.2% forecast. Nestle, the world's largest food group, raised its organic growth forecast for 2008 to 'about 8%' from an earlier target of at least 7.4%. Nestle's geographic and product diversification have helped it weather the global downturn thus far. Shares +7.1% in Zurich trading.
• Goldman swallows pride, cuts back on staff. Goldman Sachs (GS) will lay off about 10% of its 32,500 workforce, sources say. Goldman, which recently converted to a bank-holding company, has become less willing to risk its capital base, both for itself and its clients, which could result in lower profits - but perhaps a more stable business model - going forward. In September CFO David Viniar said he expected GS's record high headcount to remain stable-to-higher through year end, but that was then. Things look bleak for Wall Street workers.
• OPEC wants non-members to cut too. OPEC is considering cutting back oil production in several stages, President Chakib Khelil said Thursday. OPEC ministers meet in Vienna Friday for an emergency meeting to consider dropping oil output in an effort to arrest a 50%+ drop in crude prices since July. Khelil also said OPEC is asking non cartel members Russia, Mexico and Norway to join it in trimming output. The global financial crisis is already forcing many companies to drop oil projects, he said, adding $90/barrel oil wouldn't curb economic growth. Crude fell more than 7% Wednesday after a larger-than-expected inventory build. It's up 2% to $68.10 in overnight trading.
• Foreclosures slow. Foreclosure filings rose 71% in Q3 from a year ago, but only 3% from Q2 as actions to buffer lending markets appear to be slowing the bleeding. RealtyTrac says foreclosure filings dropped 12% in September from August, due mostly to state-law changes "that have at least temporarily slowed down the pace at which lenders are moving forward with foreclosures." Last month, foreclosure filings were recorded on one out of every 475 housing units. Nevada, Florida and California remain the worst markets in the country; Vermont is the best-performing state. (see also next item)
• Homeowner aid on the front burner. The U.S. government is considering a $40B proposal to help stop foreclosures, one of the problems at the heart of the financial crisis. Meanwhile the Treasury Department has its own plan to employ part of the $700B financial rescue bursary to buy and renegotiate mortgages. At a Senate Banking Committee hearing today, FDIC chief Sheila Bair is expected to suggest the government give banks a financial incentive to turn non-performing loans into more-affordable mortgages, with the government sharing in any future losses, sources say.
• Amazon outlook gloomy. Shares of internet retail giant Amazon.com (AMZN) plunged 13% AH after it predicted a gloomy holiday season, despite beating Q3 consensus estimates (see below) with a 48% rise in earnings. Worries over a slowdown have already sent Amazon's shares down more than 40% this year, and its guidance did little to allay the fear, with the company saying it expects Q4 sales of $6-7 billion, vs. analyst expectations of $7.1B. "All companies have limited visibility right now and we're no different," CEO Jeff Bezos told analysts (transcript). CFO Tom Szkutak said the company saw slower rates of growth in the latter half of the quarter, and noted a strong dollar has hurt the company's businesses overseas.
• Lending rates edge lower. Three-month Libor edged down to 3.535%, the lowest since September 24, from 3.54125% Wednesday. The overnight lending rate climbed to 1.20625% from 1.11875% Wednesday, but is still well below the fed funds target rate of 1.50%.
• No credit, no demand. Mortgage applications fell 16.6% from a week ago, MBA said, to the lowest level in almost eight years. The average interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 6.28% from 6.47%.
• Oil inventories bulge. Petroleum stocks were much higher than expected as consumers continue to hold back, despite significantly lower gas prices. Crude +3.18M barrels vs. +2.3M consensus. Distillates +2.16M vs. +0.1M consensus. Gasoline +2.71M vs. +2.1M consensus.

Earnings: Thursday Before Open

• 1-800 FLOWERS.COM (FLWS): FQ1 EPS of -$0.08 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $158M (+8.4%) vs. $150M. (PR)
• Altria (MO): Q3 EPS of $0.46 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $4.34B (+6.9%) vs. $4.21B. (PR)
• AU Optronics (AUO): Q3 EPS of $0.03 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $3.23B (-23.1%) in-line. Weak sales and soft pricing. Shares -8.1% in Germany. (PR)
• Avnet (AVT): FQ1 EPS of $0.67 misses by $0.03. Revenue $4.49B in-line. (PR)
• Black & Decker (BDK): Q3 EPS of $1.42 beats by $0.13. Revenue of $1.57B (-3.9%) in-line. Sees Q4 EPS of $0.70-0.90 vs. $1.13. "Considering the recent disruption of credit markets, our cash flow, balance sheet and liquidity are particularly important. We reduced inventory 12% versus the prior year..." Shares -6.2%. (PR)
• Bristol-Myers (BMY): Q3 EPS of $0.46 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $5.25B (+14.2%) in-line. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales rises 1% to 68.9%. Shares +3.8%. (PR)
• Bunge (BG): Q3 EPS of $1.70 vs. consensus of $2.81. Revenue of $14.8B vs. $14.46B. Sees full-year EPS of $11.60-11.90 vs. $11.49. (PR)
• Celgene (CELG): Q3 EPS of $0.40 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $592M (+69.3%) in-line. Shares -1.7%. (PR)
• Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE): Q3 EPS of $0.46 in-line. Revenue of $5.74B in-line. Sees full-year EPS of $1.25-1.29 vs. $1.39. (PR)
• Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO): Q3 EPS of $2.23 in-line. Revenue of $900M (+39.8%) vs. $874M. (PR)
• Dow Chemical (DOW): Q3 EPS of $0.60 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $15.41B (+13.4%) vs. $15.63B. "In our view, we will likely see a global recession through most of 2009," DOW says. (PR)
• Elan (ELN): Q3 EPS of -$0.18 misses by $0.04. Revenue of $270M (+52.9%) vs. $275.5M. (PR)
• Eli Lilly (LLY): Q3 EPS of $1.04 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $5.21B (+14.1%) vs. $5.09B. (PR)
• EnCana (ECA): Q3 EPS of $1.92 beats by $0.14. Revenue of $10.77B (+92.4%) vs. $5.92B. (PR)
• Goodrich (GR): Q3 EPS of $1.33 beats by $0.20. Revenue of $1.77B (+10.7%) in-line. Shares -1.1%. "We assume a soft economic environment for 2009, and that global available seat miles will be approximately flat in 2009," it says. (PR)
• Janus Capital Group (JNS): Q3 EPS of $0.24 in-line. Revenue of $275M (-9.5%) vs. $280M. Shares +0.1%. (PR)
• JetBlue Airways (JBLU): Q3 EPS of -$0.02 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $902M in-line. Shares +5%. (PR)
• Level 3 Communications (LVLT): Q3 EPS of -$0.08 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $1.07B (+0.9%) in-line. Shares +8.9%. (PR)
• New York Times (NYT): Q3 EPS of -$0.01 misses by $0.05. Revenue of $687M (-8.9%) vs. $692M. "In this difficult environment, we are reviewing our uses of cash... our Board of Directors plans to review our dividend policy before the end of this year to determine what is most prudent in light of the overall market conditions." (PR)
• NII (NIHD): Q3 EPS of $0.54 misses by $0.13. Revenue of $1.12B (+34.9%) in-line. (PR)
• Petro-Canada (PCZ): Q3 EPS of C$2.56 misses by C$0.20. Production slipped to 424,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day from 436,000 barrels. (PR)
• Potash (POT): Q3 EPS of $3.93 beats by $0.36. Revenue of $3.06B (+136.6%) in-line. Cash flow from operating activities of $1.3B was almost four times last year's. Shares +4%. (PR)
• ProLogis (PLD): Q3 EPS of $0.63 beats by $0.08. Sees full-year FFO of $3.60-3.70 vs. $4.10. "We are assuming the current economic malaise persists throughout 2009, further impacting cap rates and leasing momentum in those markets where liquidity has been most impacted..." Shares -6.3%. (PR)
• RadioShack (RSH): Q3 EPS of $0.39 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $1.02B (+6.4%) vs. $0.99B. "After strong months in July and August, our sales and earnings trends slowed in September. We anticipate that this challenging retail environment will continue." (PR)
• Range Resources (RRC): Q3 EPS of $0.51 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $348M (+62.2%) vs. $325M. (PR)
• Raytheon (RTN): Q3 EPS of $1.01 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $5.9B (+13.5%) vs. $5.66B. Announces new $2B share repurchase plan. (PR)
• R.H. Donnelley (RHD): Q3 EPS of $0.38 beats by $0.44. Revenue of $648M (-3.5%) vs. $641M. Shares +20.7%. (PR)
• Southern Company (SO): Q3 EPS of $1.01 misses by $0.01. Revenue of $5.43B vs. $5.04B. (PR)
• Starwood Hotels (HOT): Q3 EPS of $0.71 beats by $0.18. Revenue of $1.53B (-0.3%) in-line. "While we can’t control the economic environment, we can right-size our organization to offset the effects of slowing travel demand," CEO Frits van Paasschen says. (PR)
• SunTrust Banks (STI): Q3 EPS of $0.49 misses by $0.11. Revenue of $2.46B (+20.7%) vs. $2.12B. (PR)
• TD Ameritrade (AMTD): FQ4 EPS of $0.29 misses by $0.01. Revenue of $649M (+4.1%) vs. $606M. Shares +5.8%. (PR)
• Thermo Fisher (TMO): Q3 EPS of $0.76 in-line. Revenue of $2.59B (+7.8%) in-line. (PR)
• Union Pacific (UNP): Q3 EPS of $1.38 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $4.85B (+15.6%) in-line. "Although today’s freight demand is soft, customers are continuing to realize the value of freight rail transportation," it says. (PR)
• UPS (UPS): Q3 EPS of $0.96 beats by $0.07. Revenue of $13.11B (+7.4%) in-line. "Based on economic forecasts, we anticipate a challenging environment for a number of quarters going forward... We believe the U.S. consumer will be very conservative with spending this year." Shares +1.85%. (PR)
• US Airways (LCC): Q3 EPS of -$2.35 beats by $0.19. Revenue of $3.26B (+7.4%) in-line. It sees its new "a la carte" pricing model contributing $400-500M to 2009 revenue. "Concerns have increased about the impact the global economic crisis may place on demand for air travel." Shares -1.1%. (PR)
• Xerox (XRX): Q3 EPS of $0.29 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $4.37B (+1.6%) vs. $4.47B. Says focus on small and mid-size businesses helped offset the economic challenges affecting U.S. large enterprises. (PR)
• Xcel Energy (XEL): Q3 EPS of $0.51 misses by $0.05. Revenue of $2.85B in-line. Shares -2.7%. (PR)
• Zimmer (ZMH): Q3 EPS of $0.97 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $952M vs. $964M. Shares +0.7%. (PR)

Earnings: Wednesday After Close

• Alliance Data Systems (ADS): Q3 EPS of $0.91 misses by $0.25. Revenue of $511M (+3.9%) vs. $524M. Shares +6%. (PR)
• Allstate (ALL): Q3 EPS of -$0.35 vs. $0.72 consensus. Revenue of $7.32B (-18.6%) vs. $6.32B. "We expect volatile financial markets and tough economic conditions to persist for some time." Shares +3.1%. (PR)
• Amazon.com (AMZN): Q3 EPS of $0.27 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $4.26B (+30.7%) in-line. Sees Q4 revenue of $6-7B vs. $7.05B. Kindle titles now account for more than 10% of unit sales for books that are available in both digital and print formats. Shares -14%. (PR)
• Amerigroup (AGP): Q3 EPS of $0.74 beats by $0.23. Revenue of $1.12B (+8.8%) in-line. Shares +4.7%. (PR)
• Amgen (AMGN): Q3 EPS of $1.23 beats by $0.15. Revenue of $3.88B (+7.3%) vs. $3.7B. Shares +4.4%. (PR)
• Anadigics (ANAD): Q3 EPS of $0.00 in-line. Revenue of $58.1M (-27.9%) vs $62.8M. Sees Q4 EPS of -$0.12 to -$0.14 vs. $0.02. Shares -17.8%. (PR)
• Baidu.com (BIDU): Q3 EPS of $1.47 beats by $0.19. Revenue of $135M (+104.2%) in-line. Shares -3%. (PR)
• Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG): Q3 EPS of $0.59 in-line. Revenue of $340M (+18.9%) in-line. Announces a $100M share repurchase program. Shares +2.2%. (PR)
• Cirrus Logic (CRUS): FQ2 EPS of $0.15 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $53.3M (+13.4%) vs. $52M. Shares +15.5%. (PR)
• Cohen & Steers (CNS): Q3 EPS of $0.20 misses by $0.05. (PR)
• F5 Networks (FFIV): FQ4 EPS of $0.24 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $171M (+3.4%) in-line. Shares +7.7%. (PR)
• Intersil (ISIL): Q3 EPS of $0.44 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $219M (+10.3%) in-line. Sees Q4 EPS of $0.22-0.26 vs. $0.41. Shares +9.9%. (PR)
• Lam Research (LRCX): FQ1 EPS of $0.26 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $440M (-35.6%) in-line. Shares -3.4%. (PR)
• Noble (NE): Q3 EPS of $1.47 beats by $0.13. Revenue of $862M (+8.9%) vs. $871M. Shares +3.1%. (PR)
• Plantronics (PLT): FQ2 EPS of $0.41 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $217M (+4.2%) in-line. Sees FQ3 EPS of $0.25-0.33 vs. $0.46. Shares -8.1%. (PR)
• Pulte Homes (PHM): Q3 EPS of -$1.11 misses by $0.63. Revenue of $1.56B (-36.7%) vs. $1.53B. Impairments and land-related charges of $267M. Backlog = 5,885 homes. Shares -4.5%. (PR)
• Robert Half International (RHI): Q3 EPS of $0.43 in-line. Revenue of $1.16B (-1.6%) in-line. "Our third-quarter results clearly were impacted by the turmoil in the global financial markets... Clients became increasingly cautious with their hiring actions as the quarter progressed." (PR)
• Ryland Group (RYL): Q3 EPS of -$1.15 misses by $0.27. Revenue of $544M (-26.2%) vs. $512M. New orders of 1,284 units is down 31.6% Y/Y. (PR)
• Seagate Technology (STX): FQ1 EPS of $0.26 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $3.03B (-7.7%) vs. $3.16B. Shares -4.7%. (PR)
• SLM Corp. (SLM): Q3 EPS of $0.19 vs. consensus of $0.36. SLM increased its loan-loss provisions amid an increase in private-loan delinquencies. (PR)
• Smurfit-Stone Container (SSCC): Q3 EPS of -$0.08 misses by $0.04. Revenue of $1.88B (-0.3%) in-line. Shares +36.8% after dropping 24% in regular hours. (PR)
• Teradyne (TER): Q3 EPS of $0.09 misses by $0.03. Revenue of $297M (-0.7%) in-line. Sees Q4 EPS of -$0.18 to -$0.07 vs. $0.06 and revenue of $190-220M vs $272M. (PR)
• Terex (TEX): Q3 EPS of $1.08 misses by $0.25. Revenue of $2.51B (+14.5%) vs. $2.43B. Shares -4.3%. (PR)

Today's Markets

• Asia markets were sharply lower Thursday. Nikkei -2.46% to 8,461. Hang Seng -3.55% to 13,760. Shanghai -1.07% to 1,876. BSE Sensex -3.92% to 9,772.
• Europe is trading down at midday. London -1.74%. Paris -3.21%. Frankfurt -3.69%.
• After spending most of the night in positive territory, U.S. futures are now near their lows. Dow -0.48% to 8516. S&P -0.72% to 896.25. Nasdaq -0.9%.
• Crude +1.68% to $67.87. Gold -4% to $705.80.

Thursday's Economic Calendar

• 8:30 Jobless Claims
  10:35 EIA Natural Gas Report
  4:30 PM Money Supply

Seeking Alpha editor Rachael Granby contributed to this post.

1-800-Flowers (FLWS) is scheduled to report their fiscal first quarter 2009 results before the market opens on Thursday, October 23. Based on our analysis, we at eChristianInvesting are expecting FLWS to report inline results that meet Wall Street’s consensus expectations.

Analyst Expectations

We are forecasting revenues of $150.0 million and EPS of ($.11). This would represent a 3% increase in revenues from last year’s $145.8 million in the same period. The current analyst consensus calls for revenues of $150.0 million and ($.11) EPS.

F4Q08 Earnings Call

August 7, 2008 11:00 am ET

1. Higher fuel prices help Amazon!

Mother's Day, is this Sunday, so if you haven't done the shopping for your mother and/or wife, then you had better get a move on. You may want to consider a gift of some shares in companies that may participate in sales of Mother's Day-related products. Here are a few that can benefit from the widely celebrated day, including chocolate, flowers, and jewelry. Don't forget the greeting card and gift-wrap.

Hershey (HSY), founded in 1894, is the largest manufacturer of chocolate in North America and one of the largest chocolate and candy companies in the world. Hershey's Kisses were invented in 1901, and Hershey's chocolate chips were introduced in 1928. The stock has a P/E of 47, a PEG of 3, and a favorable yield of 3.1%.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (FLWS)

Q3 2008 Earnings Call Transcript

1-800 Flowers.com (FLWS) announced earnings early Thursday morning and told the world that they increased the net income by 212% and EBITDA by 28%. All this was achieved with only a 2.7% increase in revenues for the quarter. The strong growth was mainly attributable to the company’s BloomNet Wire Service.