Sears Holdings (SHLD) looks set to double to hit $100 a share, according to Barron's. The bull thesis is that the stock is now a trimmed-down real estate play with attractive brands such as Kenmore and Craftsman to boot. As the sly Eddie Lampert crafts a slow-motion liquidation, throw earnings valuations out the window and crunch the numbers on a sum of the parts. The Catch-22 for a Sears rally: Those pesky shorts and an underfunded pension plan. [View news story]
Sounds like someone at Barrons owns some of Sear's stock and is trying to cause some "frenzy" in the market to get the stock to rise so they can make a fortune. I think all these "big time traders" like Eddie Lampert work together to get the small investors to "pump" up the stock so as to make themselves rich. All I can say, is that the workers who work for these companies are just pawns in a chess game just waiting to be sacrificed while corporate tells them "all is fine."
Hidden Value, Executive Change, New Initiatives To Boost Sears Shares [View article]
A man's "net worth" is not what makes a great man. If you want to attack someone's comments by asking what their "net worth" is then it says a lot about your character and what your true values are.
"Paulco" actually made some statements that were based on some evidence by the stats that even Lampert and Sears Holdings have admitted to in shareholder letters, but continues to say these figures are really not that important. Now this may be his "plan" for all we know, but I've not seen Sears Holdings mention that any redevelopments are making a profit yet. If you do, please specify which properties they say are "booming" for them.
Long-Term Sell And Hold In Sears Holdings [View article]
Sorry, I believe I found the article you're referring to. It only covers "Rating American Workplaces on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality" not employee performance. Big deal, so they equally treat their employees poorly no matter what sexual persuasion they are...lol!
We Worry Sears Will Sell Winners To Pay For Losers [View article]
It's sad that the only real important thing here is the "liquidation value" of this company. It just shows that Lampert has no intention of trying to save the retail part of the company (or the human factor). He'll allow the stores to degrade and lose sales, watch the stock go down because of it, buy up the stock while it's low, then sale off assets (real estate and close stores), make it appear like there's going to be a "turnaround," thus causing the stock to go up again, all the while he's laughing all the way to the bank. Unfortunately, there are people working there who wish he would be more interested in investing in them and saving the retail end, instead of just looking at the value of the real estate. My opinion, but there's got to be a better way to make a buck instead of stepping on the backs of the American worker to get it. It's one of the reasons the middle class is diminishing and the economy is so volatile.
Danger Zone 4/23/2013: Sears Holdings [View article]
I see "Payday Advance" kiosks within their stores soon...LOL! Just another way to take advantage of poor people who think they have no other options. The same as when banks offer non-credit worthy individuals "high interest/high fee" credit cards. You don't see Wal-Mart stooping to these levels to get shoppers back into their stores and they're back to being the #1 Fortune 500 company again.
Danger Zone 4/23/2013: Sears Holdings [View article]
Lampert engineered an incredibly take over of Kmart when they went bankrupt and used the windfall (by selling off of valuable Kmart owned properties) to take over Sears (which also was on the verge of bankruptcy) to merge two "iconic" companies together creating the 2nd largest retailer in the world in the hopes of making one huge money making machine to compete against Walmart, Target, as well as online superstar Amazon.
I'm sure Lampert thought he'd be able to turn the company around using his "masterful" investing and thinking style to become the "hero" that not only saved two "iconic" American companies, but made a fortune for his investors, as well. Well, with the recession and his "masterful" management style he hasn't been able to "turnaround" the company as he had hoped.
Now it looks like most investors see this "real estate play" and "construction turnaround" the "Hail Mary" that will save the company and/or investors. I'm no "billionaire," and I'm sure my comments will be negated by some based just on that, because if you have at least a $billion you're automatically a "superstar" that can do no wrong. Well, I say this time you will see a "superstar" that made a mistake and isn't willing to admit to it and will do anything before he will, including "going down with the ship."
I suppose after this all plays out, as with anything, only time will tell who is right or wrong, so have fun ridiculing my comments until then.
Eddie Lampert's Buying More Sears - Should You? [View article]
Very optimistic outlook. I'll be positive, and hope you are right for the sake of the remaining employees of Sears that get a lot of "culture" but no raises or work hours for years now. Try talking to some of these employees in the stores that have been with the company at least 5 years (they will be very hard to find) and willing to speak honestly, in fear of losing their job.
If Lampert really "idolizes Buffett" he should listen to Warren's advice in this video and stop trying to run a business he obviously knows nothing about, since he's been unable to "turn it around" in the 10 years he's been in charge of it.
"Cut the waste?"... Yes, as usual someone with a degree in Economics from Yale, who worked on Wall Street at Goldman Sachs, swooped in like a "corporate raider" when Kmart was in bankruptcy, sold off 600 Kmart stores, some sitting on valuable real estate and were profitable, only to use the money to buy Sears which was having its' own problems, decided that firing up to 10 full-time employees last February in each of their stores (one was a good friend of mine and long time dedicated employee), leaving mostly part-time employees, was the best way to "cut the waste."
And now he wants to equip employees with expensive I-Pads to help do their job, which is near impossible to do because there is not enough actual people to take care of the core responsibilities like stocking shelves and helping customers. I believe "remodel" is at the bottom of the "to-do" list.
Actually, I'd say he knows him better personally than you do since he worked for him, and probably seen him come and go and converse with his management team, if not with him personally. All you really know is how well he does in the stock market, which is fantastic, and most likely ride his coat tails by investing in what guys like him do, but I'd say a person who graduated from Yale, got a job with Goldman Sachs after graduation, and left after Richard Rainwater (another great investor), gave him 28 million dollars to start his own investment firm ESL, and recommended investors to him, has somewhat of an advantage in making more money. It's the "old boys club" of "the rich getting richer, while the poor become poorer" or should I say the people who work for him according to Greg1960's comments. Question... have you made your 8 billion dollars yet since you know Eddie so well?
Many Sears (SHLD -4.1%) stores are in line to get a facelift due to their widely-described "decrepit" look, but will fresh paint be enough to bring them back to relevancy? Retail experts warn the trouble with the retail chain may run deeper than its own self-afflicted pain, with close to a third of Sears stores located at older malls in the U.S. described as "dead or dying" amid empty parking lots. Part of the problem is that teenagers aren't gathering at the mall en masse anymore to bring in much-needed traffic. [View news story]
Believe me they are still having a hard time hiring "good" employees. Running the company with most of their work force being part-timers doesn't help. Also, they're not willing to give a decent pay or enough hours to the few full-timers to live on, but I do agree there is some value left in their iconic brands, Kenmore, Diehard, and Craftsman, but it doesn't appear they know how to breath life back into them. I believe no matter what happens to the brick and mortar part of the company, Lampert will hold onto the brand names and make money selling them through other companies if Sears in its' present state doesn't survive.
Danger Zone 4/23/2013: Sears Holdings [View article]
If you read this article, there is big money that needs to be invested in creating a data center. Also, the article isn't very reassuring that Sears can pull it off.
If it costs $50 to $60 million per store, it'll be years before the revenue stream is a positive cash flow. Many locations aren't prime for this kind of place, so it's questionable how many stores can be converted. I suppose if they can't "extract value" from trying to run the stores properly or selling the property, it does make sense to try to make it into something else, but it's a big "if" with all the competition already out there dedicated to these kind of solutions they're offering.
I do give Lampert credit for thinking "out of the box," but fragmenting your company and trying to do too many things at once and not being able to do any one thing right, may not necessarily be a solution to their problems.
Danger Zone 4/23/2013: Sears Holdings [View article]
The operative word here is "appear." If he's not nervous, which he should be, it's only because he feels he can at least get his money back and then some from the liquidation of Sears, but that is still debatable. As far as the subsidiaries and being larger than Amazon, if he's using the same "game plan" he's used the last 10 years to try to save the "brick and mortar" side of the company, I don't see much success in that venture either.
Danger Zone 4/23/2013: Sears Holdings [View article]
MSF question to MLCGLOBAL: "In your opinion if it all went bad do you see stock price valued at least at $140.00 in liquidation?"
MLCGLOBAL response to MSF: "That of course would be nice... it depends on the retail price per square foot in a fire sale. A ? that needs some digging"
I can see why the author chose this as the "author's pick." It shows that MSF with all his comments can't back anything up with real metrics, and the one person who backs MSF, and I might add used some real data to do it, even admits that it is all conjecture depending on what the real value of the property is at the time of the "fire sale."
I'd also like to add, if there really is so much "value" in SHC as some say, why doesn't Lampert as representative of a personal investor, a hedge fund manager of ESL, and the CEO/COB of Sears Holdings, that would benefit from the rise of the stock price, make this "transparent" for all to see?...unless there really isn't as much value?...or maybe he's just "manipulating" the situation to be able to keep buying the stock on the cheap until he unfolds his real "plan" for the company, which I've read may even include taking the company private that would only benefit the "majority" stockholders?
I still think it's a big risk that I'm not willing to be part of it.
Eddie Lampert will stay on as the CEO at Sears Holdings (SHLD -1%), according to a new SEC filing (10-K). The exec will only earn $1 a year in salary but will be in line for incentive payouts and more stock. By many accounts, Lampert has pushed a lot of the right buttons in his downsizing and asset sales with the company as mall peer J.C. Penney has tried differing tactics. [View news story]
True, but he'll still get "a bonus of up to $2 million in cash or stock and up to $4.5 million in stock per year" as quoted from this article:
Not bad for someone who hasn't been able to make the company profitable in the past 10 years of running it, fired most of the middle/dept. management which left the salesfloor to be run by skeleton crews, and has denied raises for his employees for the past 5 years.
Sears Holdings (SHLD) looks set to double to hit $100 a share, according to Barron's. The bull thesis is that the stock is now a trimmed-down real estate play with attractive brands such as Kenmore and Craftsman to boot. As the sly Eddie Lampert crafts a slow-motion liquidation, throw earnings valuations out the window and crunch the numbers on a sum of the parts. The Catch-22 for a Sears rally: Those pesky shorts and an underfunded pension plan. [View news story]
Hidden Value, Executive Change, New Initiatives To Boost Sears Shares [View article]
"Paulco" actually made some statements that were based on some evidence by the stats that even Lampert and Sears Holdings have admitted to in shareholder letters, but continues to say these figures are really not that important. Now this may be his "plan" for all we know, but I've not seen Sears Holdings mention that any redevelopments are making a profit yet. If you do, please specify which properties they say are "booming" for them.
Long-Term Sell And Hold In Sears Holdings [View article]
We Worry Sears Will Sell Winners To Pay For Losers [View article]
Danger Zone 4/23/2013: Sears Holdings [View article]
Danger Zone 4/23/2013: Sears Holdings [View article]
I'm sure Lampert thought he'd be able to turn the company around using his "masterful" investing and thinking style to become the "hero" that not only saved two "iconic" American companies, but made a fortune for his investors, as well. Well, with the recession and his "masterful" management style he hasn't been able to "turnaround" the company as he had hoped.
Now it looks like most investors see this "real estate play" and "construction turnaround" the "Hail Mary" that will save the company and/or investors. I'm no "billionaire," and I'm sure my comments will be negated by some based just on that, because if you have at least a $billion you're automatically a "superstar" that can do no wrong. Well, I say this time you will see a "superstar" that made a mistake and isn't willing to admit to it and will do anything before he will, including "going down with the ship."
I suppose after this all plays out, as with anything, only time will tell who is right or wrong, so have fun ridiculing my comments until then.
Eddie Lampert's Buying More Sears - Should You? [View article]
Sears Is Headed Lower [View article]
http://bit.ly/TS7O49
Sears Spinning Off Sears [View article]
And now he wants to equip employees with expensive I-Pads to help do their job, which is near impossible to do because there is not enough actual people to take care of the core responsibilities like stocking shelves and helping customers. I believe "remodel" is at the bottom of the "to-do" list.
Sears Spinning Off Sears [View article]
Many Sears (SHLD -4.1%) stores are in line to get a facelift due to their widely-described "decrepit" look, but will fresh paint be enough to bring them back to relevancy? Retail experts warn the trouble with the retail chain may run deeper than its own self-afflicted pain, with close to a third of Sears stores located at older malls in the U.S. described as "dead or dying" amid empty parking lots. Part of the problem is that teenagers aren't gathering at the mall en masse anymore to bring in much-needed traffic. [View news story]
Danger Zone 4/23/2013: Sears Holdings [View article]
http://bit.ly/12pXKBU
If it costs $50 to $60 million per store, it'll be years before the revenue stream is a positive cash flow. Many locations aren't prime for this kind of place, so it's questionable how many stores can be converted. I suppose if they can't "extract value" from trying to run the stores properly or selling the property, it does make sense to try to make it into something else, but it's a big "if" with all the competition already out there dedicated to these kind of solutions they're offering.
I do give Lampert credit for thinking "out of the box," but fragmenting your company and trying to do too many things at once and not being able to do any one thing right, may not necessarily be a solution to their problems.
Danger Zone 4/23/2013: Sears Holdings [View article]
Danger Zone 4/23/2013: Sears Holdings [View article]
"In your opinion if it all went bad do you see stock price valued at least at $140.00 in liquidation?"
MLCGLOBAL response to MSF:
"That of course would be nice... it depends on the retail price per square foot in a fire sale. A ? that needs some digging"
I can see why the author chose this as the "author's pick." It shows that MSF with all his comments can't back anything up with real metrics, and the one person who backs MSF, and I might add used some real data to do it, even admits that it is all conjecture depending on what the real value of the property is at the time of the "fire sale."
I'd also like to add, if there really is so much "value" in SHC as some say, why doesn't Lampert as representative of a personal investor, a hedge fund manager of ESL, and the CEO/COB of Sears Holdings, that would benefit from the rise of the stock price, make this "transparent" for all to see?...unless there really isn't as much value?...or maybe he's just "manipulating" the situation to be able to keep buying the stock on the cheap until he unfolds his real "plan" for the company, which I've read may even include taking the company private that would only benefit the "majority" stockholders?
I still think it's a big risk that I'm not willing to be part of it.
Eddie Lampert will stay on as the CEO at Sears Holdings (SHLD -1%), according to a new SEC filing (10-K). The exec will only earn $1 a year in salary but will be in line for incentive payouts and more stock. By many accounts, Lampert has pushed a lot of the right buttons in his downsizing and asset sales with the company as mall peer J.C. Penney has tried differing tactics. [View news story]
http://yhoo.it/ZC77h9
Not bad for someone who hasn't been able to make the company profitable in the past 10 years of running it, fired most of the middle/dept. management which left the salesfloor to be run by skeleton crews, and has denied raises for his employees for the past 5 years.