Top 5 Retail Companies To Invest In Right Now

European stocks dropped the most in more than five weeks as better-than-forecast U.S. jobless claims fueled speculation the Federal Reserve will taper its bond-buying program this year.

Zurich Insurance Group AG (ZURN) lost 3.6 percent after second-quarter profit missed analysts��estimates. Hennes & Mauritz AB (HMB) declined the most in seven weeks as Europe�� second-biggest clothing retailer reported worse-than-expected sales. BG Group Plc, which derives 20 percent of its oil-and-gas production from Egypt, slipped 2.4 percent as the death toll from nationwide violence in the most populous Arab country climbed above 500.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index slid 1.1 percent to 305.34 at the close in London, its largest drop since July 5. The equity benchmark yesterday rose to its highest level since May 22 as the euro area�� economy returned to growth in the three months through June after six quarters of contraction. It has still rallied 11 percent from a low on June 24.

Top Diversified Bank Stocks To Watch Right Now: Vitamin Shoppe Inc (VSI)

Vitamin Shoppe, Inc., incorporated on September 27, 2002, is a specialty retailer and direct marketer of vitamins, minerals, herbs, specialty supplements, sports nutrition and other health and wellness products. During the fiscal year ended December 29, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company marketed over 400 different brands, as well as its own brands, which include Vitamin Shoppe, BodyTech and True Athlete. The Company sells its products through two segments: retail and direct. In the Company's retail segment, the Company had a total of 286 new stores during the fiscal 2012. As of January 26, 2013, the Company operated 579 stores in 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Ontario, Canada, primarily located in high-traffic regional retail centers. In the Company's direct segment, the Company sells its products directly to consumers through the Internet, primarily at www.vitaminshoppe.com. On February 14, 2013, Vitamin Shoppe Mariner, Inc. acquired Super Supplements, Inc.

Retail

The Company's retail segment includes its retail store format. Its retail stores are is located in diverse geographic and demographic markets, ranging from urban locations in New York City, to suburban locations in Plantation, Florida and Manhattan Beach, California. As of January 26, 2013, the Company leased the property for all of its 579 stores. The Company's primary warehouse and distribution center and corporate headquarters are consolidated into a leased, 230,000 square-foot facility.

Products

The Company offers a selection of vitamins, minerals, herbs, homeopathic remedies, specialty supplements, such as fish oil, probiotics, glucosamine and Co Q10, sports nutrition, weight management, as well as natural bath and beauty, pet supplements and options for a healthy home. The Company's offers includes approximately 17,500 stock keeping units (SKUs) from over 400 brands. The Company offers products to its assortment in its Vitamin Shoppe, BodyTech, True Athlete and O! ptimal Pet brands, which include products, such as Ultimate Man, Ultimate Women, Whey Tech Pro 24 and Natural Whey Protein. The Company also offers an assortment from national brands, such as Optimum Nutrition, USP Labs, Garden of Life, Cytosport, Nature's Way, Solaray and Solgar. This assortment is designed to provide the Company's customers with a selection of available product in order to help them achieve their health and wellness goals.

The vitamin and mineral product category includes multi-vitamins, which many consider to be a foundation of a healthy regimen, lettered vitamins, such as Vitamin A, C, D, E, and B-complex, along with trace minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, chromium and zinc. Certain herbs can be taken to help support specific body systems, including ginkgo to support brain activity and milk thistle to help support liver function, as well as other less common herbs, such as holy basil for stress support and blood sugar control and black cohosh for menopause support. Herbal products include whole herbs, standardized extracts, herb combination formulas and teas.

Categories of specialty supplements include omega fatty acids, probiotics and condition specific formulas. Certain specialty supplements, such as organic greens, psyllium fiber and soy proteins, are taken for added support during various life stages. Folic acid is specifically useful during pregnancy. Super antioxidants, such as coenzyme Q-10, grapeseed extract and pycnogenol, are taken to address specific conditions. High ORAC (oxygen radical absorptive capacity) fruit concentrates like gogi, mangosteen, pomegranate and blueberry are taken to prevent oxygen radical damage. Other specialty supplement formulas are focused to support specific organs, biosystems and body functions. The Company offers approximately 3,000 SKUs in sports nutrition.

The Company's other category include natural beauty and personal care, diet and weight management supplements, natural pet food, and low carb foo! ds. Natur! al beauty and personal care products offer an alternative to traditional products that often contain synthetic and/or other ingredients that the Company's customers find objectionable. The Company offers approximately 3,000 SKUs for its other category. The Company's natural pet products include nutritionally balanced foods and snacks along with condition specific supplements such as glucosamine for joint health. Its variety of diet and weight management products range from low calorie bars, drinks and meal replacements to energy tablets, capsules and liquids.

The Company competes with Vitamin World, GNC, Whole Foods, Costco, Wal-Mart, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, Amazon.com, Puritan's Pride, Vitacost.com, Bodybuilding.com, Doctors Trust, Swanson and iHerb.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  What: Shares of the Vitamin Shoppe (NYSE: VSI  ) were looking under the weather today, falling as much as 10% after a disappointing earnings report.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Barclays upgraded share s of Vitamin Shoppe (VSI) today, expressing a confidence in management that was, well, heartwarming.

  Barclays’ analysts Meredith Adler and Sean Kras call Vitamin Shoppe’s management team “thoughtful, deliberate and disciplined” and praise their ability to diversify the business. As a result, they upgraded Vitamin Shoppe to Overweight from Equal Weight two days after Vitamin Shoppe released its earnings.

  But Adler and Kras also spent a good number of words explaining what Vitamin Shoppe isn’t–specifically, it’s not GNC Holdings (GNC):

  [Vitamin Shoppe] said it saw no fundamental change in consumer demand, nor did it feel much pressure from the bad media reports about things like multi-vitamins and fish oil, unlike GNC. [Vitamin Shoppe] has a much broader offering than GNC, however, so weakness in any one category rarely has a major impact on�[Vitamin Shoppe's] overall sales the way it does at GNC. Conversely, it benefits less when there are few very successful products. For example, diet is a far smaller part of the sales mix at�[Vitamin Shoppe] than at GNC. Last year diet had some strong products, but this year there are fewer. GNC�� comps were stronger than�[Vitamin Shoppe's] last year, but we like the stability of�[Vitamin Shoppe's] business, especially in the current environment.

  Shares of Vitamin Shoppe have gained 1.8% to $43.42 at 3:24 p.m., while GNC has risen 0.8% to $37.43.

Top 5 Retail Companies To Invest In Right Now: Dollar General Corporation(DG)

Dollar General Corporation operates as a discount retailer of general merchandise in the southern, southwestern, midwestern, and eastern United States. The company offers consumables, including paper towels, bath tissue, paper dinnerware, trash and storage bags, laundry, and other home cleaning supplies; packaged food and perishables; beverages and snacks, such as candies, cookies, crackers, salty snacks, and carbonated beverages; over-the-counter medicines and personal care products; and pet supplies and pet food products. It also provides seasonal products consisting of decorations, toys, batteries, small electronics, greeting cards, stationery, prepaid cell phones and accessories, gardening supplies, hardware, and automotive and home office supplies; home products comprising kitchen supplies, cookware, small appliances, light bulbs, storage containers, frames, candles, craft supplies, and bed and bath soft goods; and apparel products, such as casual everyday apparel for infants, toddlers, girls, boys, women and men, as well as offers socks, underwear, disposable diapers, shoes, and accessories. In addition, the company holds a license to Bobbie Brooks clothing, as well as the Fisher Price brand for various items of children's clothing. As of May 25, 2011, it operates approximately 9,500 stores in 35 states. The company was formerly known as J.L. Turner & Son, Inc. and changed its name to Dollar General Corporation in 1968. Dollar General Corporation was founded in 1939 and is based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sue Chang and Ben Eisen]

  Dollar General Corp. (DG) �shares gained 3.1%. The discount retailer on Tuesday said its fiscal first-quarter profit rose to $222.4 million, or 72 cents a share, from $220.1 million, or 67 cents a share, a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, Dollar General would have earned 71 cents. Sales grew 6.8% to $4.52 billion.

• [By Suravi Thacker]

  It is not necessary that all dollar stores or similar small box retailers will survive in an environment where consumers are largely cost conscious. Some would fare well while others might sink. Typical examples of such companies are Dollar General (DG) and Family Dollar Stores (FDO). Dollar General has been great soldier whereas Family Dollar continues to flop.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Supervalu have dropped 8.3% to $6.31 at 2:59 p.m., within spitting distance of Goldman’s $6 target price, while competitors Family Dollar Stores (FDO) has gained 0.2% to $70.16,�Dollar General�(DG) has fallen 0.4% t0 $59.02,�Dollar Tree (DLTR) is off 1% to $59.33 and Wal-Mart (WMT) is little changed at $79.19.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Murray Close, Warner Bros./AP From a major banking institution kicking off the new earnings season to the most-anticipated theme park debut of the year staging its grand opening, here are some things that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street. Monday -- Food for Thought The market's going to get off to a slow start on the news front. That's not a surprise given that it was closed Friday for Independence Day. One company that will be in the news on Monday is food and industrial products maker Penford (PENX). Penford's wide range of products include food ingredients, pet and animal products, sustainable bioproducts, starches for paper and packaging products and biofuels. Analysts see Penford earning 21 cents a share, but keep in mind that it has come up short against Wall Street expectations in each of the three previous quarters. Tuesday -- Harry Potter Central Florida will be a bit busier than usual on Tuesday when Comcast's (CMCSK) Universal Orlando has its grand opening of the new Diagon Alley expansion to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It's been a rough start. July 8 wasn't the opening date that the park originally wanted, judging by the fact that it had "The Tonight Show" and "Today" run weeklong tie-ins a few weeks ago. Conveniently for Comcast, it owns both the Universal theme parks and NBC. However, with the expansion's indoor coaster proving unreliable -- and even Universal pass holders being denied early access to attractions outside of the new Hogwarts Express train ride -- it could be an interesting debut. The crowds should be huge, the expectations lofty. Wednesday -- Mopping Up WD-40 (WDFC) reports on Wednesday afternoon. This is the company behind the multi-use lubricant. It also offers industrial cleaners, toilet sanitizers and other compounds. WD-40 didn't work out for its shareholders last time out. It posted better than expected 9 percent growth in revenue, but earnings fell just short of expectations. WD-4

Top 5 Retail Companies To Invest In Right Now: Advance Auto Parts Inc(AAP)

Advance Auto Parts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items. It operates in two segments, Advance Auto Parts (AAP) and Autopart International (AI). The AAP segment operates stores, which primarily offer auto parts, including alternators, batteries, chassis parts, clutches, engines and engine parts, radiators, starters, transmissions, and water pumps; accessories comprising floor mats, mirrors, vent shades, MP3 and cell phone accessories, and seat and steering wheel covers; chemicals consisting of antifreeze, freon, fuel additives, and car washes and waxes; and oil and other automotive petroleum products. This segment also provides battery and wiper installation, battery charging, check engine light reading, electrical system testing, video clinics and project brochures, loaner tool programs, and oil and battery recycling services; and sells its products through online. The AI segm ent operates stores that offer replacement parts for domestic and imported cars, and light trucks to customers in northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, as well as to warehouse distributors and jobbers in North America. As of January 1, 2011, the company operated 3,369 AAP stores, including 3,343 stores located in the northeastern, southeastern, and Midwestern regions of the United States under the Advance Auto Parts and Advance Discount Auto Parts trade names; 26 stores situated in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands under the Advance Auto Parts and Western Auto trade names; and 194 stores under the Autopart International trade name in the United States. It serves do-it-yourself, do-it-for-me, or commercial customers. The company was founded in 1929 and is based in Roanoke, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Heading into last night’s earnings report, O’Reilly had returned 50% this year including reinvested dividends, easily besting peers Autozone (AZO), which had returned 22%, Genuine Parts (GPC), which has returned 26%, and Advance Auto Parts (AAP), which had returned 38%,� thanks in large part to a 25% gain in the last month due to its purchase of General Parts International. Clearly, investors thought O’Reilly had something going for it its competitors did not.

• [By John Udovich]

  Auto parts retailers like large cap O'Reilly Automotive Inc (NASDAQ: ORLY) and mid cap Advance Auto Parts, Inc (NYSE: AAP)�along with small cap auto parts stock Federal-Mogul Corp (NASDAQ: FDML) have been a bright spot on the economy as consumers try to stretch the lives of their automobiles or vehicles in the bad or uncertain economy. In fact, Investors Business Daily has recently noted that the�average age of cars on the road is about 11.5 years and that�� of course good news for auto parts retailers while�any uptick in sales or production of auto parts in general�will be good for companies like Federal-Mogul Corp. With that in mind, here�is a look at�how these three auto parts retailers or auto parts stocks are taking investors for a ride in a good way:

• [By Daniel Miller]

  Rather than pull my money out at the wrong time, as so many people did, I invested in specific trend-bucking, low-beta stocks -- O'Reilly (NASDAQ: ORLY  ) , Advance Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP  ) , and AutoZone (NYSE: AZO  ) . I did so while following Lynch's advice to "invest in what you know." To allow me to tell my story, let me briefly explain what the beta number is and how it works. Then I'll tell you why I picked those stocks and explain how you can do it next time.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  O'Reilly Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY), AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO), The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE:PBY), and Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) may all technically be in the same business, but they're hardly in the same proverbial boat. In fact, their performances - sales and earnings - are oddly disparate. Which among PBY, AZO, ORLY, and AAP are the winners and the losers, and perhaps more important, why? The question can at least partially be answered by a chart, and what the chart can't tell us about each, the narrative can.
  
  O'Reilly Automotive

Top 5 Retail Companies To Invest In Right Now: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  McDonald's (MCD) customers are getting squeezed and so, therefore, is McDonald's.

  For the third quarter, comparable store sales grew by just 0.7% in the United States. That's down from 1% comparable store sales growth in the second quarter. Global comparable sales climbed by 0.9%. Wall Street had been expecting 1% growth.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) has gained 1.1% during the past three months, to the iShares Russell 2000 ETF’s (IWM) 5.9% gain. McDonald’s (MCD), meanwhile, has dropped 4.9% during that time frame, while�Burger King (BKW) has jumped 6.8%