7-7-08


Juno is the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods. Maybe that's why June, whose name is derived from Juno’s, is generally considered the most popular month of the year for getting married. Since June has just passed, maybe there are some wedding stocks worth looking at.

By the way, did you see the article about the prospective bride who auctioned off the sponsorship of her wedding? You'll never guess who the successful bidder was.

Before you can even have a wedding, there needs to be an engagement, and the focal point of the engagement is the ring. (Speaking of word derivations, did you know that Tiffany comes from the Greek name Theophania, which means manifestation of God?) Tiffany (TIF), which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, was founded as a "stationery and fancy goods emporium" in 1837. It is now one of the leading jewelry stores in North America. The stock has a P/E of 17 and a PEG of 1.05, and it pays a yield of 1.7%.

Signet Group (SIG) is a specialty jewelry retailer with stores in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. It operates under the names Kay Jewelers, Jared the Galleria Of Jewelry, JB Robinson Jewelers, Marks & Morgan Jewelers, Belden Jewelers, Weisfield Jewelers and many other names. The stock has a P/E of 8 and a PE of 0.67. It pays a yield of 7.3%.

Another jewelry store is Blue Nile (NILE), which is an online portal for rings, diamonds and jewelry and which trades on the Nasdaq. It is the largest online retailer of certified diamonds in the world. Blue Nile has a P/E of 40 and a PEG of 1.93.

Zale (ZLC), which trades on the NYSE, is the second-largest specialty retailer of fine jewelry in North America. It offers moderately priced jewelry in 789 stores throughout all 50 states. Zale has a P/E of 48.5.

For planning weddings, couples turn to The Knot (KNOT), traded on the Nasdaq, which offers media services to the wedding and newlywed markets. It owns TheKnot.com, WeddingChannel.com and TheNest.com. Its price-earnings ratio is 28, and its PEG is a favorable 1.51.

A wedding isn't a wedding without flowers. They are available through FTD Group (FTD), which markets flowers and specialty gifts. The company, also known as Florists' Transworld Delivery, was founded in 1910. The stock has a P/E of 11 and a favorable PEG of 0.75, and it pays a yield of 4.9%.

1-800-Flowers.com (FLWS) was one of the first major retailers to establish an Internet presence back in April 1995. It retails flowers, plants, gift baskets, gourmet foods, candy and stuffed animals. It has a P/E of 17 and a PEG of 0.92.

Another related group of stocks is the diamond stocks.

Author does not have positions in any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com