Boenning & Scattergood Announces Investment Opinion on A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts, Inc., Hot Topic, Inc., and Urban Outfitters, Inc.

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Boenning & Scattergood initiated coverage of A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACMR), Hot Topic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOTT) and Urban Outfitters, Inc.(NASDAQ:URBN) today with a Market Outperform rating for both HOTT and URBN with 12-month price targets of $9 and $44, respectively. ACMR was started at a Market Perform. A.C. Moore is a superstore retailer that specializes in arts and crafts merchandise. Hot Topic specializes in selling music/pop culture-influenced and licensed apparel. Urban Outfitters is a multi-brand specialty retailer of lifestyle merchandise. Our investment thesis includes the following factors:

• With a new management team that is focused on improving profitability, A.C. Moore should be well positioned when crafting activities begin to accelerate. We believe that this trend and the turnaround (which the company is currently in the throes of) are not simply near-term events, but are multiyear initiatives that should create sustainable improvements in profitability.
• Though Hot Topic had been successful at identifying music trends during most of the prior decade, the Internet has brought many challenges for the music world. With that, new ideas to generate sales are more critical now than ever before. HOTT’s ability to reconnect with the customer, through stronger merchandise and a better grasp on an evolving music landscape, will determine long-term success.
• Urban Outfitters has filled various key positions, new systems have been put in place to more efficiently run the business, new brands and distribution channels have been added, and management has begun to look at direct sourcing as an opportunity for margin enhancement, which in turn should provide URBN the necessary drivers to face strong economic headwinds.

About Boenning & Scattergood: Founded in 1914, Boenning & Scattergood, Inc. is the oldest independently owned investment securities firm in the Philadelphia region. The firm offers a full compliment of investment services to institutional, retail and corporate clients, including research, sales, trading, investment banking and public finance. For more information, please visit www.boenninginc.com. Member SIPC/FINRA.

This release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy any securities mentioned herein. Please refer to the full report, which is available upon request, for additional details, risks and disclosures.