Topic: How To Invest

Would you recommend shares of Le Chateau? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Le Chateau Inc., $1.44, symbol CTU.A on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 20.2 million; Market cap: $29.1 million; www.lechateau.com), operates 244 stores, of which 242 are located in Canada and two are in the New York City area. The company also has seven stores operated by franchisees in the Middle East. Le Chateau sells clothing, accessories and shoes for women and men. Its outlets are mainly in major shopping malls and on streets with lots of pedestrian traffic. The shares continue to drop: they have moved down from around $11.50 in early April 2011 to $1.44 today. Falling sales are the main reason for the drop in the stock price. In the three months ended October 29, 2011, the company’s sales dropped 5.4%, to $70.4 million from $74.5 million a year earlier. Same-store sales fell 8.4%. Le Chateau lost $0.16 a share in the latest quarter, compared to a profit of $0.10 a share a year earlier. In December 2011, the company said that it will…