Exchange=NasdaqNM
Size=Mid-Cap
Primary SIC Code=5411 (Grocery Stores)
CIK=0000865436
NAICS=445110 (Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores)
QM ID=734 (Grocery Stores)
Adr=NO
Country-Adr=nn


WFMI - x - Nasdaq

Founded in 1980 as one small store in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market® is now the world's leading retailer of natural and organic foods, with 170 stores in North America and the United Kingdom. To date Whole Foods Market remains uniquely mission driven: We're highly selective about what we sell, dedicated to stringent Quality Standards, and committed to sustainable agriculture.


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Allora , la seguo da tempo e da un pò era sempre intorno ai 100$. La cosa interessante è che oggi ho scoperto che Jim Cramer di thestreet.com ha iniziato a pomparla, e quando lui attacca molti seguono ... io non credevo potesse andare lontano ma gatta ci cova, il settore, poi, di certo non è da fallimento ... vedete voi.

Non ricordavo di aver aperto un topic ...

SAN FRANCISCO, July 28 (Reuters) - Whole Foods Inc. (WFMI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , the top U.S. natural and organic foods retailer, said on Thursday quarterly profit rose 31 percent, topping Wall Street forecasts, as business at new stores exceeded the company's expectations.

Whole Foods also raised its sales growth forecast for fiscal 2005 as it pushes ahead with new store openings, and the company's shares rose 11 percent in after-hours trading.

"We believe our goal of $10 billion in sales by the year 2010 is well within our reach," chief executive John Mackey said in a statement.

Profit rose to $41.7 million, or 60 cents a share, in the fiscal third quarter ended July 3, from $31.8 million, or 48 cents a share, a year earlier.

According to Reuters Estimates, analysts had expected a profit of 57 cents a share within a range of 55 cents to 59 cents and had expected sales of $1.1 billion.

Sales rose to $1.1 billion from $917 million a year earlier as new stores produced a record amount in average weekly sales during the quarter. Same-store sales -- a key indicator of retail performance -- jumped 15.2 percent.

Whole Foods also said it sees capital spending at the high end of its previous range of $300 million to $320 million as it plans to open five stores during the fourth quarter to end the fiscal year with 175 locations.

For fiscal-year 2005, the company expects sales growth slightly above its previously stated range of 15 percent to 20 percent and same-store sales growth just more than its previously forecast range of 9 percent to 11 percent.

Whole Foods sees earnings per share growth for the year lower than sales growth due to a previously announced one-time estimated $10 million to $15 million charge in the fourth quarter related to the acceleration in vesting of outstanding stock options.

Analysts on average have forecast sales of $4.67 billion and earnings per share of $2.43 for the year. That is above the $3.87 billion in sales and earnings per share of $2.09 a year earlier.

For fiscal 2006, the company expects sales and earnings growth of 15 percent to 20 percent.

Whole Foods' shares rose to $136.10 in after-hours trade on the Inet electronic brokerage network from a Nasdaq close of $122.32.

...aggiunto codici in scheda

txsWW

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of organic and natural foods grocer Whole Foods Market Inc. rose Wednesday in premarket trading after a JP Morgan Securities Inc. upgrade on a recent stock price fall and long-term growth expectations.

Shares rose $1.20, or 2.5 percent, to $48.67 in early activity after closing at $47.47 Tuesday on the Nasdaq.

JP Morgan's Stephen C. Chick lifted his rating on Whole Foods to "Overweight" from "Neutral," noting the stock's recent fall.

Shares have fallen about 39 percent from the beginning of the year, due in part to a 23 percent plunge last Friday. The company late Thursday warned 2007 will be a transitional year with slower growth expectations because of competitive pressures. Whole Foods said the slowdown is inevitable after recent, surging growth.

"We would begin buying the stock, particularly for long-term oriented accounts," wrote Chick in a client note. The company's 2007 plans to open new stores will initially eat into profit, but will result in growth in 2008 and 2009, he wrote.

"Thus," Chick added, "at current levels, a 'transition year' is already reflected within the stock price, yet reacceleration thereafter is not."


E mi sa che anch'io entro, l'avevo già deciso ...

Dal sito "Motley Fool"

The Best Retail Stock for 2007: Whole Foods Market
By Alyce Lomax
January 17, 2007

I had ample ideas to choose from when given the challenge of picking a contender for the best retailer for 2007. After all, I enjoy following the universe of retail stocks, and I own a few of my favorites as well. However, when push came to shove, I had to choose Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFMI) despite -- and partially because of -- the investor sentiment that soured on the retailer about midway through 2006.

Whole Foods Market is often known as a "supernatural" grocer, since it's a supermarket with a heavy emphasis on organic and natural products. You could argue that it has not only paved the way for specialty retailers such as Wild Oats (Nasdaq: OATS) and Trader Joe's but has also helped bring organic and natural eating trends into the mainstream. Thanks to Whole Foods' influence, conventional grocers such as Safeway (NYSE: SWY) and Wal-Mart have discovered that consumer interest in such offerings is far more than a fringe trend and have plunged into organics themselves.

The financial picture at Whole Foods has been exemplary, considering that the grocery industry was long considered a tired one with plenty of competition and low profit margins. Whole Foods changed that situation. It appeals to upscale and affluent shoppers and has managed to evoke the kind of lifestyle brand that Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) has been so successful with. Also like Starbucks, Whole Foods hopes to appeal to consumers' desire for an enjoyable "third place" between home and work.

Whole Foods has delivered a 31% compound annual growth rate in sales since its IPO; as of the 12 months ending in November, it delivered $5.6 billion in sales. The five-year average same-store-sales growth at Whole Foods is 11.1%, and in fiscal year 2006, it was 11%. It's a highly profitable company, with a 2006 gross margin of 34.9%. At the end of fiscal '06, Whole Foods generated $453 million in cash from operations and had $256 million in cash on its balance sheet with very little debt. This retailer has been able to open new stores using the cash it generates in its business.

There are still more reasons to like Whole Foods -- and not just because it's so profitable that it has been able to pay a dividend to its shareholders. It reports economic value added, or EVA, which is a metric that provides a much more long-term approach than quarterly earnings. In addition, it gives abundant data on its same-store sales. Over the summer, we were able to take a look at that data and determine that Whole Foods is able to coax impressive sales growth out of older stores for what may be a remarkably long time.

Investors flipped out recently when same-store-sales growth mediated to lower levels than the torrid growth they had been accustomed to. Another reason the market soured on Whole Foods was the aforementioned new competitors such as Wal-Mart and the conventional grocers. However, I believe Whole Foods has a sustainable competitive advantage that is far more philosophical, and therefore more difficult to replicate, than what most businesses have managed to comprehend but may eventually find unavoidable to confront. Specifically, Whole Foods has been a pioneer in a more holistic approach to business and its power to make improvements in the world while making a tidy profit.

Whole Foods grew with the idea that businesses should benefit all stakeholders -- customers, shareholders, and employees alike. Call the budding movement "conscious capitalism" or what you will, but while 2006 was a year in which more and more people recognized the importance of corporate responsibility and environmental sustainability, Whole Foods has been a pioneer in that mindset. Meanwhile, the company bolted up to No. 5 on Fortune's annual list of best employers.

Furthermore, the idea of "food ethics" has been cropping up more frequently in books, magazines, and other mainstream media outlets. Although you could say that longtime customers of Whole Foods have long recognized the idea that low-priced foods from conventional sources might have more costs to the environment, communities, and animal welfare than many people are aware, it seems the idea is getting further dissemination and increased traction.

Last but not least, that brings us to Whole Foods' founder and CEO, John Mackey. He's been called a philosopher of the movement to link consciousness and capitalism, and that's part of why I nominated him a most Foolish CEO even before he decided to take a $1 salary and donate his stock options this past summer.

Whole Foods has fewer than 200 stores and plans to double its sales to $12 billion by 2010. In 2007, it has an aggressive growth plan in place in which it plans many store openings, some of which appear to be larger and more aggressive than before -- a few multilevel Whole Foods Markets are in the plans, for example. The company believes that its top 50 markets allow for a concentration of its stores, that it has further room to move into secondary markets, and that it has great opportunity for expansion internationally.

Mackey described 2007 as a transitional year for the grocer. While he described it as a year of growing store counts and continuing to focus on innovation to differentiate the company, investors chose to see the glass half empty, given competitive concerns. Of course, Whole Foods' guidance for sales growth of "only" 13% to 17% in fiscal 2007 and comps of "only" 6% to 8% gave the market cold feet. Its share price got trimmed by 40% last year, but it seems clear that 2007 will be a significant year, at the very least in terms of building on the company's strong foundations for long term gain.

Maybe I'm a bit of a contrarian to be so bullish on Whole Foods when the market has seemed to feel otherwise. But what do you think? Cast your vote in Motley Fool CAPS by tagging Whole Foods Market as an underperform or outperform. Next week we'll announce the community's idea of the best retailer for 2007, based on your responses.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Whole Foods Market Inc., an operator of natural and organic supermarkets, said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday that in a meeting on March 5, its shareholders will vote on a proposal to separate the chief executive and chairman titles.

Currently, John P. Mackey holds the chairman and chief executive titles.

During the annual meeting of shareholders, shareholders also will vote on directors, a stock-incentive plan, a proposal on energy use, and other items.

Shares added 14 cents to $44.10 during morning trading on the Nasdaq.

Allora la trimestrale è il 21 febbraio. Sotto 43 ho fatto il pieno.

Sta salendo, penso, perchè continua ad essere consigliata da Motley Fool ed oggi Thestreet.com ha scritto quanto segue :

Whole Foods Market (WFMI - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) is a stock that has seen better days, as evidenced by the one-year chart below.

The company trades at 24 times forward earnings and just 12 times actual operating cash flows. In addition, analysts expect about 15% earnings growth over the next year and close to 20% revenue growth.

So why the share fallback? The company stated in its November report that growth might begin to slow. Earnings grew 339% last year, and growth obviously can't maintain that pace. But with the company still growing in double digits and with the enterprise value divided by cash flows at just 12 times, the market has more than discounted any slowing growth.

Financial services company UBS agrees with that thesis. UBS recently came up with a list of luxury stocks made up of companies that mostly sell to the affluent. This demographic has been growing faster than the U.S. economy over recent years (the well-known split between the haves and the have-nots), and UBS believes that Whole Foods is one of the companies in this category that will benefit. On a related note, Barron's put together a similar list it calls the Champagne Bucket.

So the market has essentially assumed zero growth on Whole Foods. Any upside from that is a home run.

e questa la dedichiamo a tutti i no global col cuoricino in mano

rimando al numero 9-15 dic 2006 dell'Economist ed europea

NEW YORK (AP) -- Whole Foods Market Inc. reports earnings for the fiscal first quarter on Wednesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

OVERVIEW: Whole Foods, the world's largest natural foods chain, is coming off a three-year growth spurt and entering a period of slower growth. Founder and Chief Executive John Mackey has cautioned investors that single-digit growth in same store sales -- or sales at stores open for at least a year -- would be more typical of the company's performance. Previously, the company posted same store sales growth in the double-digits as customers crowded the aisles for the store's organic and natural food choices.

Whole Foods has also said it will focus on buying more local products, finding unique global products and offering more private-label nonperishable food.

Also in the quarter, the retailer said it would add $100 million shares to its stock buyback program, bringing the total authorization to $200 million over the next three years.

The company also increased its employee salary cap during the quarter from 14 times to 19 times the average pay of all full-time staffers. It also said Mackey will begin working for $1 beginning Jan. 1.

BY THE NUMBERS: Analysts polled by Thomson Financial are looking for first quarter earnings of 40 cents per share on revenue of $1.89 billion. The company has not offered any earnings or sales guidance for the quarter.

ANALYST TAKE: Goldman Sachs analyst Simeon Gutman said the company's first quarter report "will likely be a bump in what should ultimately be a smoother, long-term road."

"In our view, this slowdown will be just a short-term blip within a much longer mainstream growth phase," Gutman said in a note to investors. "That said, these near-term challenges will likely persist throughout 2007 and could actually get worse before they get better."

The challenges include higher pre-opening expenses, moderating comparisons and modest gross margin investments, he said.

UBS Equities analyst Neil Currie said the chain could also see lower earnings due to increased competition at conventional supermarkets, which have begun stocking organic offerings.

In an analyst note, Currie said he will be specifically looking at the direction of the company's sales since the early weeks of the quarter.

WHAT'S AHEAD: Whole Foods forecast that same-store sales will grow 6 to 8 percent in fiscal 2007. In March of last year, Mackey told shareholders he expects the company to reach $12 billion in sales by 2010.

STOCK PERFORMANCE: Shares dropped 21 percent in the quarter and have fallen 27 percent during the past year.

Allora, trimestrale più o meno secondo le aspettative. Vendite in salita di "solo" il 7% e utile di 0,38$. Per il 2007 prevedono di tornare alla crescita a due cifre.

La notizia importante però è che hanno firmato l'accordo per l'acquisto della rivale Wild Oats.

Nell'afterhours il titolo ha toccato i 48$ contro la chiusura a 45,7$

Whole Foods Market Inc. was upgraded to outperform from market perform at William Blair & Co., citing valuation. "we believe that many of our concerns about a regression to the mean for comparable store sales growth and expense pressure with the ramp-up in store expansion are now reflected in the stock price," William Blair said. It added that opportunities from the acquisition of Wild Oats will outweigh risks.

UBS upgraded to Whole Foods Market Inc. to buy from neutral, saying the planned Wild Oats acquisition could be a big positive for the group. "At a transaction value of $671 million, Whole Foods would be acquiring about 40% of its current square footage for just a little over 10% of its current enterprise value," UBS said. "We calculate that Wild Oats sales per square foot productivity is at roughly half that of Whole Foods' and we see little to prevent Whole Foods from bringing that up to its par," it added.

Inzomma ... ha un bel "buco" lasciato aperto a 60$ .... casomai lo volesse chiudere, poi rimarrebbe solo continuare la lunga marcia verso i 100$.

Premarket appena aperto e siamo a 49,64$ ...

Max, dove prendi i dati del premarket prima delle 14 ?

io questo conosco

http://dynamic.nasdaq.com/dynamic/premarketma.stm#dec

sul sito del Nasdaq. Non è interattivo e in tempo reale ma funge ...

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/Extended...p;selected=wfmi

e a 50$ ci siamo arrivati .... adesso un piccolo sforzo e andiamo a 60$

Dopo mesi di tregenda la ciofecona "salutista" ci muove dal baratro e scala velocemente i "40" attestandosi ad un 47,30 al momento più che lusinghiero soprattutto se accoppiato ad un +3 e dispari %. Molto è l'effetto ricoperture, secondo me, visto che è stata shortata pure dai poppanti negli ultimi mesi ...

Ma non ho messo la news ( vecchia) che si comprano Wild Oats ?? Beh, adesso c'è ....

Earnings Preview: Whole Foods Market

Analysts Expect Strong Sales, Pressured Margins at Whole Foods in Fiscal Second Quarter

NEW YORK (AP) -- Whole Foods Market Inc. reports earnings for the fiscal second quarter on Wednesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

OVERVIEW: Organic and natural foods supermarket Whole Foods began the quarter in February by announcing it would buy its smaller rival Wild Oats Markets Inc. for $565 million, or $18.50 in cash per share. Whole Foods plans to borrow to finance the deal.
The news caused both Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's Rating Service to review the company's credit ratings and put the supermarket chain on watch for a possible downgrade.

In March, Whole Foods extended the expiration date for its tender offer to buy Wild Oats to April 24 after the Federal Trade Commission requested more information for the second time.

Also in the quarter, the company created a buying program for "socially responsible products" from developing countries. The program, called the Whole Trade Guarantee, sets criteria for products to ensure quality, more money for producers, better wages for workers and environmental production practices that promote biodiversity.

BY THE NUMBERS: Whole Foods has not provided any guidance for the quarter. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expect earnings of 36 cents per share on revenue of $1.49 billion.

ANALYST TAKE: Banc of America Securities analyst Scott A. Mushkin said in a note to investors there are a good number of positive catalysts ahead for the next 12 months, including the Wild Oats purchase and new stores, but that margins remain a concern.

"Expenses associated with opening and operating the new large format stores have dramatically increased, helping to erode the company's operating margins over the last two quarters," Mushkin said. "At the same time, increased competition and escalating labor costs are also pressuring operating margins, none of which is likely to abate near-term."

JP Morgan analyst Stephen C. Chick said the company's same-store sales will most likely improve in the second quarter. Same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least year, are a key measure of retailer performance since it counts growth at existing stores rather than at newly-opened ones.

"We think sales trends will prove better than the market anticipates for the second quarter," he said in an analyst note.

WHATS AHEAD: Whole Foods sees same-store sales growing between 6 percent and 8 percent in fiscal 2007. That's down from last year's 11 percent same-store sales.

The company also said it sees total sales growth during fiscal 2007 of between 13 percent and 17 percent.

STOCK PERFORMANCE: Shares fell nearly 4 percent in the quarter and dropped 37 percent in the past year.

Disastro su tutta la linea, 32cents di utile contro 36 attesi, in after hours massacrata ... ed io con lei ... che felicità ...

The deadline for Whole Foods Market Inc. to purchase rival Wild Oats Markets Inc. has been extended yet again.

Austin-based Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI - News) said Tuesday it's pushed back the expiration date for its tender offer for Wild Oats shares to 3 p.m. Mountain Time June 20.

Since the proposed deal was announced in February, the expiration date has been moved from April 24 to May 22.

The delay comes as the Federal Trade Commission continues to raise questions about anti-trust issues related to the purchase. Whole Foods said that while the FTC hasn't decided whether to challenge the purchase of Boulder-based Wild Oats (NASDAQ: OATS - News), "members of the FTC staff have voiced concerns regarding perceived anticompetitive effects resulting from the proposed tender offer and merger."

The definitive merger agreement between the two companies calls for Whole Foods to pay $18.50 a share, or about $565 million, for Wild Oats. Whole Foods also will assume Wild Oats debt, which amounted to $106 million as of Sept. 30, 2006.

As of May 21, a total of 20.9 million shares of Wild Oats stock -- or about 70.1 percent of the outstanding shares -- have been tendered.

Wild Oats has 110 stores in the United States and Canada under four names: Wild Oats Marketplace, Henry's Farmers Market, Sun Harvest and Capers Community Market. Annual sales are about $1.2 billion.

Whole Foods, with sales of $5.6 billion, has 194 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

LA Federal Trade Commission intende fare causa per impedire a WFMI di comprare Wild Oats, nel frattempo WFMI è stata anche downgradata a equal weight. Risultato : di nuovo sui 39$.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/104333-who...pt?source=yahoo

http://seekingalpha.com/article/104333-who...pt?source=yahoo

...

11.65 now
+13 %