Brian Sozzi

They're coming. Big, bold, colorful signs filled with numbers and words like “50% Off!” and “Buy One, Get One!” And they are followed by the scariest words of all: “Back to School Sale!” These messages are supposed to entice consumer spending. But all they really do is serve as a reminder that...

Brian Sozzi of Wall Street Strategies is out with a report on the June nonfarm payrolls report, which was released at 8:30 this morning. Just 18,000 jobs were created during the month, as opposed to expectations for 125,000 jobs. Simultaneously, April and May saw revisions to their reports,...

Brian Sozzi popped in to the CNBC studios Thursday afternoon to share his thoughts on the retail market, consumer spending, and, believe it or not, zombies (sort of). "The theory of the zombie consumer [is that he/she] just works to pay for needs, not many wants," Sozzi said. He noted that this...

It's not easy being a big box retailer. While Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), and Target (NYSE: TGT) once ruled the industry, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has quickly stolen the spotlight as the leading place to shop for just about everything. Brian Sozzi, an equity research analyst at Wall...

Brian Sozzi of Wall Street Strategies is out with a research note on tomorrow's FOMC meeting, as well as press conference that Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke will have after. Sozzi goes on to note that the Fed's view that inflation in commodity prices were "transitory" has been largely spot...

Brian Sozzi of Wall Street Strategies is out with a research note this morning on the potential economic fallout of a Greece default on the U.S. consumer, as well as the parallels of the situation in Greece to a couple of U.S.-based retailers. Sozzi says that enormous amounts of debt are prevalent...

Brian Sozzi is out with a research note on some potential ideas, this time from a technical analysis, rather than a fundamental perspective. In the note Sozzi discusses Bebe (NASDAQ: BEBE), Kohl's (NYSE: KSS), Macy's (NYSE: M), Furniture Brands (NYSE: FBN), Buckle (NYSE: BKE), and Activision...

In a research note, Brian Sozzi of Wall Street Strategies has a note on Target (NYSE: TGT), as the company held its annual shareholder meeting today. In the note, Sozzi talks about the many different initiatives Target is undertaking, such as pushing into Canada, remodeling U.S. stores, and...

Brian Sozzi of Wall Street Strategies is out a research note on Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) after the company's CFO made some startling comments this morning, saying Q2 was likely to be worse than the first quarter. In the note, Sozzi says, "Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) management played...

Brian Sozzi of Wall Street Strategies is out with a research report on business inventories and he thinks that next week's data could set the tone for sentiment for future earnings. In the research report, Sozzi writes, "However, I think next week's manufacturing and trade inventory data for April...

Benzinga recently caught up with Wall Street Strategies senior analyst Brian Sozzi to get his take on some of the recent earnings reports to come out of the apparel sector. Here's what he had to say about the general outlook for the sector as a whole: - "Some of these last minute earning reports...

Wall Street Strategies retail analyst Brian Sozzi is raising his price target on shares of Hot Topic Inc. (NASDAQ: HOTT) to $9 from $8, and it has a Buy rating on shares. In a note to clients, Sozzi writes, "The conference call from Hot Topic (HOTT) was music to our ears. As long-time followers of...

Noted retail analyst Brian Sozzi of Wall Street Strategies is on the Target (NYSE: TGT) conference call, and the company is shedding some interesting light on the rising commodity costs and inflation prospects for the second half of the year. Sozzi tweeted that the company "just called out...

In a report by Wall Street Strategies, Brian Sozzi provides a valuation and ratings analysis on Lowe's (NYSE: LOW). “Lowe's encountered a three-headed beast in 1Q11; lag impact on consumer spending on home improvement goods from softening home values; unfavorable weather which appears to have...

Brian Sozzi from Wall Street Strategies is out with a research note on April retail sales, which were released this morning. In the report, Sozzi mentions names such as American Eagle (NYSE: AEO), Target (NYSE: TGT), and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), and Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF). In the note...