Fred's has trailed its dollar-store competitors on numerous metrics, including stock-price gains. That could change under a new CEO, and the shares could head toward 20 from 12.

increased the Company's quarterly cash dividend to $0.03 per share from the prior dividend of $0.02 per share, payable on June 15, 2009, to shareholders of record as of June 1, 2009.

0.97

Buy - Price 8.16 on Jan. 9
by Wedbush Morgan

We believe December comps [at Fred's stores, many of which have pharmacies] were hurt by slower consumer spending, a shift to generics, softer flu season year-over-year [and]...weak sales of apparel, home; strength [was] in consumables, electronics, and pets...[and] inventories look to be in good shape. Our 12 target assumes FRED should trade around 15 times our fiscal-year '08 earnings-per-share estimate of 77 cents [or] 1 times our projected longer-term earnings growth rate of 15%, despite challenging environment. Market-cap: $340 million.

undervalue small cap