J.C. Penney Well-Positioned To Increase Promotions

In a report published Monday, Cleveland Research analyst Matthew Delly noted that

is well-positioned to increase promotional activity. Delly remarked, "J.C. Penney looks positioned to increase the frequency and depth of promotional activity during 1H." The analyst commented that the increase in promotional activity and the lack of "meaningful" supplier funding makes it challenging for the company to return to the historic gross margin rates during the full-year 2015. Cleveland Research has a Neutral rating on J.C. Penney. J.C. Penney will report fourth quarter and full-year results on February 26, 2014, following the markets close. The company is expected to report a net loss for the fourth quarter from $1.95 per share a year ago to $0.82. The net loss for the full-year is expected to be $6.11 per share, compared to a per-share loss of just $3.50 in the previous year. Shares of J.C.Penney closed at $5.64 on Friday. The stock is taking a hit Monday, currently down 6.55% at $5.2706.