Its been yet another wild year for JCPenney (JCP) and not in a good way. While 2012 was bad for investors in JCP stock, 2013 was even worse. The reeling retailer continued down a bumpy road to the bottom.
In case you forgot, Ron Johnson a former retail star at Target (TGT) and Apple (AAPL) was pulled on board in November 2011 to save the age-old department store.
To be blunt, he failed miserably. Sales at JCPenney fall 25% in 2012, and JCP stock plummeted by about 45%.
A fresh year didnt help JCPenney stock get its groove back, either. Shares of JCP stock had been regaining a bit of momentum in recent months, but they got yet another haircut yesterday. Investors were unimpressed by the companys second-straight month of improving same-store sales, and were disappointed by the increase in overall sales.
All in all, shares of JCP have lost over half of their remaining value so far in 2013.In fact, the damage to the companys share price (and subsequently its market cap) was so bad that a beaten-down JCP stock actually got booted from the S&P 500 a few weeks back.
Some of the biggest one-day moves and most important announcements from the last year are marked on the JCPenney stock chart below. Scroll down to find out what JCP stock news had investors making moves usually for the door.
1. Jan. 29: The first big move for JCP stock in 2013 came as CEO Ron Johnson attempted to remedy his biggest mistake of 2012: getting rid of sales. Remember, Johnson wanted to wean customers off of coupons and introduce a new simpler pricing scheme. Instead, he weaned Penney customers off of shopping at the store period, with many heading to rivals like Macys (M) and Kohls (KSS). And so, on Jan. 29 nearly a year after Ron Johnson vowed to axe sales in the first place JCPenney announced that it would resume promotions.Aftermath: JCP stock gained more than 9% on the news.
2. Feb. 28: The upward momentum in JCPenney stock didnt last long, though. Investors were reminded of just how much damage the no-sales policy had already done when the department store released its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings after the bell on Feb. 27. In Q4 alone, Penney lost $552 million more than six times the loss it tallied the same period a year prior. On top of that, annual sales plunged by more than $4 billion and made for the retailers worst full-year sales number in over two decades.Aftermath: JCP stock got hammered hard, falling 17% the next morning and racking up a loss of 32% during the next five days.
3. April 9: That loss likely was the catalyst for this next bit of JCP stock news: the CEO switcheroo. Late on April 8, news broke that Ron Johnson was getting the boot after his disastrous 17 months on the job. Johnsons predecessor, Mike Ullman, was handed back the reins.Aftermath: JCP stock holders were skeptical at first, sending shares down 12% on April 9. After that initial drop, though, JCPenney stock regained the lost ground and then some, gaining 20% in a month and a half.
4. April 26: The aforementioned spring run for JCPenney stock was fueled largely by some good activist investor news. Namely, famed investor George Soros revealed that he had snagged an 8% stake in JCP stock.Aftermath: Investors were quick to follow Soros lead and sent shares up 12% in one day.
5. May 16: Once again, though, the harsh reality of JCPenney earnings cooled off the stocks mini-momentum. First-quarter earnings released in mid-May showed that, George Soros support aside, things werent looking much better at the department store. Penney posted another loss and a 19% decline in same-stores sales for the first quarter of 2013, and also eliminated its dividend.Aftermath: JCP stock sank around 4% as a result.
6. July 31: More bad news for JCP stock came later in the summer. On July 31, The New York Postran an exclusive saying that the still-struggling department store was suffering from a credit clampdown and subsequent supply chain issues. That made many investors in JCPenney stock nervous to say the least.
Aftermath: Shares of JCP fell 10% when the exclusive was released, and had lost a total of 20% by the time the first week of August was in the books.
Source: http://investorplace.com/2013/12/jcp-stock-jcpenney-2013/
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