Cabela's, the Gap and Other Retailers on a Roll

The retail earnings season is upon us again, with second-quarter reports this week from department store chains Macy's (NYSE: M), Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) and JCPenney (NYSE: JCP), followed soon by results from big-box retailers Walmart (NYSE: WMT), Home Depot (NYSE: HD), Target and others. Same-store sales in July were better than expected for many retailers, but second-quarter results are projected to vary as some retailers struggle to appeal to recession-weary consumers while others succeed.Here is a quick look at some retailers that investors like, in that their share prices are up more than 30 percent in the past six months. Cabela's (NSYE: CAB) shares are trading more than 83 percent higher year to date, including up more than 21 percent in the past month. Strong retail sales helped Cabela's report a 56 percent jump in second-quarter earnings. It has a market cap of about $2.3 billion and a long-term EPS growth forecast of more than 15 percent. The P/E ratio is in line with the industry average. Over the past six months, the stock has outperformed competitor Dick's Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS) and the broader markets.The Gap (NYSE: GPS) is about 82 percent higher than at the beginning of the year and trading near a multiyear high. The San Francisco-based purveyor of khaki beat consensus estimates for its July same-store sales by a larger margin than its peers. The $16.5 billion market cap retailer is an S&P 500 component with a dividend yield of about 1.5 percent and a return on equity of more than 25 percent. The stock has outperformed rival Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) and the S&P 500 over the past six months.Ross Stores (NASDAQ: ROST) is about 85 percent higher than a year ago and trading less than 5 percent below the 52-week high. The off-price apparel and home decor retailer not only posted a 7 percent bump in same-store sales in July, but also raised its EPS guidance for the second quarter. An S&P 500 member, Ross Stores has a long-term EPS growth forecast of almost 13 percent and a return on equity of about 46 percent. Over the past six months, the stock has outperformed Walmart and the broader markets.TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX) has increased about 40 percent year to date, despite inching up less than 2 percent in the past week. The discount retailer raised its second-quarter and full-year guidance when it announced strong same-store sales for July. The company is based in Framingham, Mass., and has a market cap near $33.5 billion. Its return on equity is about 51 percent and the dividend yield is about 1 percent. The stock has outperformed Target and the broader markets over the past six months.GNC Holdings (NYSE: GNC) has pulled back nearly 10 percent from a recent 52-week high but the share price is still about 59 percent higher than a year ago. This Pittsburgh-based retailer of health and wellness products reported strong second-quarter results in late July. It has a market cap of $4.1 billion. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is about 20 percent and its dividend yield is more than 1 percent. The stock has outperformed larger competitors CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) and Walgreen (NYSE: WAG) over the past six months.