Focus on upscale shoppers pays off

Article Excerpt

NORDSTROM INC. $52 (New York symbol JWN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 257.7 million; Market cap: $13.4 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) continues to profit from its focus on upscale clothing and footwear. That’s because demand for these goods tends to be less vulnerable to higher gas prices and interest rates. Better inventory management has also cut the need for costly clearance sales. In its first fiscal quarter ended May 5, 2007, earnings rose 25.0%, to $0.60 a share from $0.48 a year earlier. Sales rose 8.3%, to $1.95 billion from $1.8 billion, while same-store sales grew 9.5%. Same-store sales will probably rise about 4% in the current fiscal year, and the company will probably earn $2.90 a share. That implies a p/e of 17.9, which is reasonable in light of Nordstrom’s loyal clientele. Nordstrom is a buy. buy…