Apple will report earnings on April 23 after the market close. Analysts are cautious ahead of the report, apparently universally bullish on the tech giant over the long term but mixed short term. Even China Mobile's iPhone sales were a bit light. Is this the time to look for buying opportunities, sell covered calls, or spend more time on the golf course?

iPhone 6 likely pushed out
Right now there seems to be a shortage of catalysts to bring new investors into the stock, and people are becoming concerned about numbers and guidance. If you believe the recent press, the iPhone 6 is most likely going to launch in September, leaving us with two quarters to wait before revenue will be recognized. This leaves us in a catalyst drought for the March and June quarters.

Sell side is hedging
Sell-side analysts are responding to this issue, but there have been no bold moves. Over the last week, several analysts have published reports, trimmed estimates, or cautioned that the verbal guidance on the earnings call might not live up to expectations. Consider the following analyst comments:

"We are concerned that June-qtr guide could be below expectations as we see an air pocket from a demand perspective."
-- Amit Daryanani from RBC 

"We struggle to see how Apple's BOM on the iPhone 6 will not be materially higher ... pressure iPhone gross margins by ~400-500 bp, negatively impacting Apple's EPS by 10%"
-- Toni Sacconaghi from Bernstein Research.

China Mobile was a bit light
China Mobile said it sold 1.3 million 4G handsets in February and most of them were iPhones. The number was below what people were expecting. One analyst, Credit Suisse's Kulbinder Garcha, commented that, "The lackluster launch of the iPhone at China Mobile is yet another reminder that the high-end (>$400 factory ASP) market has matured." Garcha is an outlier and one of the few bears on Apple, with a price target of $500.

Small headlines won't move numbers
Apple has had positive, albeit smaller, catalysts including releasing the iPad air for TD-LTE, which will be compatible with China Mobile's TD-SCDMA as well. The big announcements wont come until later in the year, though. Apple is a consumer-driven company that sees seasonal demand around the back-to-school and the holiday shopping seasons. If its major product releases are also expected at the time, volatility could develop between now and then. Six months can be a long time to wait for something to happen.

Stay the course or sell calls?
If it fits your investment philosophy, you could sit back and wait for buying opportunities as short-term traders beat each other up. Long-term investors can take comfort in the 2.3% dividend. If a person wanted to fine tune returns, writing an out of the money-covered call could be suitable. As I'm writing this, July calls with a $575 strike are bid at $11 which would offer another 2% to your return. However, if the sell-side analysts are right, the best place for Apple investors over the next  six months might just be on the golf course.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

One of the biggest stock market movers on March 28 was Restoration Hardware . The home-furnishing retailer reported revenue that fell shy of forecasts and earnings that matched analyst estimates. Shares soared 12% on an outlook that suggests the business has a great deal of room to run. In spite of the company's mediocre results and in light of management's rosy forecast, should the Foolish investor consider taking a stake in the company? Or have shares risen too far, too fast for an investment to make sense?

Restoration Hardware's revenue growth was far from great
For the quarter, Restoration Hardware reported revenue of $471.7 million. This represents an 18% jump compared to the $398.1 million achieved in the year-ago quarter. After subtracting the extra week of operations the business enjoyed last year, revenue rose an even more impressive 26% from a base of $374.1 million; results still fell shy of the $496 million analysts expected.

In its report, management attributed the sales increase to a 17% jump in comparable-store sales and a 24% increase in the business' comparable-brand growth. Another driver behind the company's top-line growth was the addition of four outlet stores, partially offset by the closure of one retail location.

Source: Restoration Hardware, Lumber Liquidators, and The Container Store

While this improvement was impressive, it fell short of another specialty retailer: Lumber Liquidators . In the fourth quarter of its 2013 fiscal year, Lumber Liquidators saw its revenue rise 23% from $210.7 million to $258.4 million, easily beating the $255.7 million Mr. Market anticipated.

According to management, revenue increased amid a 10% rise in the number of locations in operation, from 288 to 318, over the past year as well as strong growth in comparable-store sales. For the quarter, Lumber Liquidators saw its comparable-store sales jump 16%, driven largely by a 9% rise in traffic and a 7% increase in basket size.

Another specialty retailer that investors should consider is The Container Store Group . For its most recent quarter, the company saw revenue rise 7% from $175.4 million to $188.3 million; this fell short of the $188.9 million investors hoped to see. But management was pleased with the 4.7% increase in comparable-store sales as well as the business' two new locations for the quarter, bringing its total store count to 63.

Earnings were stronger but nothing special!
When it came to revenue growth, both Restoration Hardware and The Container Store fell short of forecasts, while Lumber Liquidators surprised its shareholders. Looking at this data alone, shareholders might be inclined to dismiss Restoration Hardware as an attractive opportunity. But would this be a mistake without first seeing how its earnings performance compares to that of its peers? 

During its most recent quarter, the company reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.83. This represents a 30% jump compared to the $0.64 the business reported in the year-ago quarter and fell in-line with analyst estimates.

*denotes adjusted earnings per share
Source: Restoration Hardware, Lumber Liquidators, and The Container Store

According to the company's earnings release, the jump in profits came about because of higher sales but was also attributed to a decrease in the cost structure. The largest improvement Restoration Hardware reported was in its selling, general, and administrative expenses, which fell from 58.7% of sales to 24.7%. After excluding special compensation granted to the company's management team and owners in 2012, SG&A expenses fell only 2.2% from 26.9% of sales to the 24.7% the company reported for its 2013 fiscal year.

After accounting for certain one-time expenses, The Container Store performed better than Restoration Hardware, delivering earnings of $0.11 per share. This matched what the company earned a year earlier and beat the $0.08 per share analysts hoped to see.

The Container Store management chalked up bottom-line performance to declining expenses, with SG&A expenses falling from 40.6% of sales to 40%; pre-opening costs and restructuring charges also fell.

The best performer of the group, however, was Lumber Liquidators. For the quarter, the company reported earnings per share of $0.74. This was a whopping 48% higher than the $0.50 per share earned a year earlier. Results beat analyst estimates by $0.02.

On top of benefiting from rising sales, the company saw its new product sales fall, which decreased its cost of goods sold from 60.9% of sales to 59.2%. This was partially offset by higher SG&A expenses due to the start-up of its West Coast distribution center.

Foolish takeaway
Based on the data provided, Restoration Hardware had a mediocre quarter, similar to how The Container Store fared during its third quarter. Meanwhile, Lumber Liquidators saw the greatest level of improvement. If it were for this reason alone, shares of Restoration Hardware might not be up so much. But there is one thing saving it: Management provided a very nice forecast. 

In its first quarter of 2014, the company expects to report revenue of $345 million to $350 million and adjusted earnings per share of $0.09 to $0.11. This is far better than the $301.3 million in sales and $0.06 in adjusted earnings per share the company reported in the same quarter of 2013.

Given the positive outlook, it looks like shareholders are overlooking the company's performance for the quarter and giving management the benefit of the doubt. If the company is right about the way it will perform moving forward, it could provide shareholders with attractive upside. But any negative revision by management could force shares to drop just as quickly as they rose.

Investors had a hard time finding much optimism around the stock market today. The S&P 500 took a big hit after Wall Street had time to digest this morning's March jobs report, and the index suffered a precipitous 1.25% fall during the course of the day. It seemed like stocks across every industry took a blow on the day, although a few top risers managed to avoid the jobs report fallout.

Why was the Labor Department's jobs announcement reason for pessimism? Total nonfarm payrolls showed a 192,000-job gain for the month, just below average economist predictions of a 200,000-job gain, but still a strong showing after the end of the harsh winter. Better still for the economy, the Labor Department hiked its picture of jobs added in January and February, revising the number of positions added in those two months higher by 37,000. While unemployment remained stable at 6.7%, the labor force participation number jumped to a six-month high.

So why the long faces around Wall Street? Many had expected a boom in jobs that surpassed the projections, showing the American economy on a more robust track in the aftermath of the winter. With predictions for economic growth high in 2014 -- economists forecast around 3% GDP growth on average for the U.S. this year -- today's disappointment casts a pallor over just how fast the economy's moving along. The slow pace of growth means that the Fed is unlikely to hike interest rates soon, so investors should keep an eye on how the economy fared in the first quarter when the early year's GDP picture is released.

While that slowed down most stocks across the industry today, a few notable risers managed to post strong showings. IT distributor Synnex posted today's leading gain, jumping more than 23.2%, while energy services firm Emerge Energy climbed more than 11.9%. Of the large caps, Mylan capped off the week in a big way by gaining 1.5%.

Let's start off with Synnex. This IT stock has boomed lately, absolutely shredding the S&P's gains during the past year; but it received an even bigger bounce today after its earnings report.

SNX data by YCharts

Synnex's technology division revenue jumped by 20%, while earnings climbed 15% for the first quarter. The company's acquisition of IBM's customer care unit made a big impact, as the company managed growth across all its businesses. Yet, Synnex's biggest impact from its report came in its future outlook: Company CEO Kevin Murai sees the increased IT demand that drove this quarter's bounce continuing in the second quarter, giving investors hope that Synnex's stock can keep up its run. With a future price-to-earnings ratio of less than 14, the stock doesn't look considerably pricey just yet despite its gains -- and investors who have reaped the windfall of Synnex's bounce may best be set sticking around and seeing if that demand can come through again in the second quarter.

Emerge Energy also posted a big day on the markets, gaining after Robert W. Baird analysts hiked the stock's rating from neutral to outperform. Emerge's management is boosting the company's production capability substantially, an element that influenced Baird analysts in their decision today based on the firm's ability to drive distribution higher. Emerge only went public last May, but already the master limited partnership has managed to drive its stock drastically higher -- and it maintains a dividend any income investor would salivate over with a 6.9% yield. While the stock's run-up warrants caution, investors who got in early with Emerge certainly haven't had much to worry about so far. With a stock so young, however, investors should keep an eye on whether or not Emerge can sustain its high dividend.

Mylan capped off today's run of gainers as the generic drug stock jumped despite the news that Swedish drug manufacturer Meda warded off the company's takeover attempts. Mylan had been looking to capitalize on synergies with an acquisition of Meda. It's been trying to keep up with hard-charging rivals in the generic drug space, one marked by a number of acquisitions among the biggest players as of late. A purchase of Meda would have provided Mylan with an increased presence in emerging markets and in Europe. Even  though the company failed in its bid to takeover Meda, however, investors shouldn't expect Mylan to sit still. The firm's dead-set on a significant buy in the near term to keep pace with its competitors; expect Mylan to find another buyout candidate sometime soon.

In recent years, the National Automobile Dealers Association, or NADA, and certain states having been pushing back against Tesla Motors'  direct-sales model, saying that it would undermine competition and leave consumers out in the cold. Faulty logic for sure, but dealerships have lobbying power and aren't afraid to strong-arm their way into the legal process. New Jersey is the most recent battleground in Tesla CEO Elon Musk's much larger war. How much does the Garden State matter to Tesla's story and just how worried should shareholders be?

Jersey's ban
New Jersey's decision earlier this month made it illegal for Tesla to renew its license to sell vehicles without entering into a franchise agreement between the electric-car maker and independent dealers. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission went further, stating that, even if Tesla chose to comply and begins to franchise, its current salesrooms still wouldn't meet the new minimum dealership requirements. Namely, dealer showrooms must be no smaller than 1,000 square feet, have to be attached to service facilities, and must have a minimum of two cars on display. Tesla's current showrooms and galleries don't fit any of these requirements; in fact, they are by design meant to be sleek and boutique in nature.

Source: Tesla website

What's the big deal?
The implication of New Jersey's new regulations could threaten Tesla's presence in the U.S. auto market, especially if other states follow suit. This proves to be a very real risk indeed, as the electric-car company has had to fight off these archaic laws for almost as long as it has been operating, and the battle doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. In fact, New York and Ohio both have similar legislation on their schedules. This trend seems to be building momentum and could snowball if Tesla doesn't get a win sometime soon.

Go to the mattresses
In order to become successful in the U.S., Tesla will need to keep fighting these states and the out-of-date laws that promote dealership monopolies and discourage the entrepreneurial spirit. But allocating the resources necessary to make sustainable change within the auto market will start to drain on Tesla at some point. NADA states that 48 states have restrictions that limit direct sales. According to Musk, about 20 of those will be difficult to overcome and about six will be "extremely difficult." Musk has also been quoted as saying that if the existing laws are amended to further restrict Tesla's sales model (like New Jersey has), then it is likely that the company will have to turn to federal action.

So, yes, looking at the bigger picture, New Jersey matters to the Tesla story, a lot. But that's not all that shareholders should consider when thinking about the electric-car company's narrative.

Source: Tesla website

Moving out
These laws present a disincentive to one of the most innovative American car companies of our time by hindering its ability to actually operate on its home turf. The U.S. is the only country with these laws on the books, thereby making Tesla's expansion into the European and Chinese market seem like a breath of fresh air for the company. Tesla's growth potential in these markets, matched with the company's intention to expand its product line to include stationary power storage, somewhat negates the legislative risk.

Shareholders should be watching Tesla's legal proceedings with a cautious eye. It's not likely that the naysaying states will break the company's stride, but historically they have slowed Tesla's roll. When considering the New Jersey factor, shareholders should take into consideration that, although it is a small market when compared to Europe and China, the implications of Gov. Christie's restrictions expand beyond the Garden State and could snowball into a much larger, federal fight.

As a business, it's difficult to succeed when you have three of the most powerful forces on earth working against you -- weather, government, and unions.

And that's just what Canadian National and Canadian Pacific have been dealing with during the first three months of 2014. Let's take a close look at what they've been up against and consider how it may affect their first-quarter results. 

Brutal weather
CN blamed December's extreme cold weather for a surprising deterioration in its operating ratio to 63.4% during their fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the colder weather that's gripped much of Canada for the last few months is only now starting to thaw.

Take the Canadian city of Winnipeg for example. According to Environment Canada, this centrally located city experienced an average temperature of negative-six-degrees Fahrenheit in December, the second-coldest month in 120 years. Temperatures have only marginally increased since then: The average temps for January and February were 8 F and 7 F, respectively.

When it's extremely cold for extended periods of time, railways are inefficient. They run shorter trains, utilize more locomotives, and spend more money on fuel and labor. It's very likely that this frigid weather will hurt both CN and CP's first-quarter operational performance.

Frustrated government
Western Canadian farmers harvested a record 80 million tonnes of grain and oilseed last year, a crop 27% above the previous 2008-2009 record and 37% above the five-year average. But much of that crop hasn't made it to market due to a lack of rail transport.

Frustrated, and with few options, Canadian farmers lobbied the Canadian government for action. And they listened. First, the Canadian government issued an emergency directive giving railways four weeks to double their grain shipments or face fines of $100,000 per day. Next, they tabled the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, which includes a minimum volume requirement for CN and CP of 1 million tonnes per week, as well as an increase in the inter-switching limit. Currently, where a shipper is served by only one railway, it is entitled to transfer its traffic to another railway at a regulated rate if the shipper's facility is located within a 30-kilometer radius of where two railways connect. The bill would extend those limits to 160 kilometers, increasing competition and giving shippers access to alternative rail services.

Not surprisingly, CN and CP are frustrated. "This action could hit Canada's railways by opening their business to unfair poaching by U.S. railways without any reciprocity," remarked Claude Mongeau, CN's president and CEO. And CP Chief Executive Officer Hunter Harrison said that "expansion of regulated inter-switching could seriously impact Canada's competitiveness as it effectively transfers traffic that normally would move over Canadian railways and ports, to U.S. railroads and ports, potentially resulting in job losses, reduced investment, and the dampening of the Canadian economy."

In the short term, the legislation will force both CN and CP to haul more grain traffic at government-set tariffs, potentially at the expense of moving more, highly lucrative oil. And in the long term, if the legislation is passed without modification, it creates new competitive pressures for both Canadian railways.

Angry union
And just when CN thought 2014 couldn't get any more difficult, it was confronted with the reality that the Teamsters union, representing some 3,000 workers, may strike.

But just last week, the union agreed to start the arbitration process ensuring this latest contract dispute will not lead to a strike. CN expects the arbitration process toward a new collective agreement to conclude by mid-June. But given the latest challenges facing CN, and the government decree to move more grain, union leaders may feel emboldened and push for a more lucrative deal from the mediator.

Foolish bottom line
While it may be too early to determine the full extent the proposed legislation will have on CN and CP, intervention in how they optimize their network and potentially increased competition are likely to affect earnings, and how investors and analysts value their stock. Add in bad weather, and it's fair to say both Canadian railways hoped for a much better start to 2014.

Footwear retailer Foot Locker has soared ever since the company posted solid fourth-quarter results last month. Foot Locker's robust growth isn't surprising as its strategies have worked well, and its prospects for the long run are also impressive. Given that Foot Locker retails shoes manufactured by the likes of Nike and Under Armour, it has considerable room for improvement as these manufacturers grow their businesses.

Positive overall
In addition, Foot Locker's direct-to-channel (online) sales have been booming, leading the retailer to report solid comparable-store sales growth of 5.3% in the most recent quarter. The company's online-comp sales jumped 13%, driven by the strong performance of its websites for different store banners such as footlocker.com, ladyfootlocker.com, kidsfootlocker.com, footaction.com, and champssports.com . 

Unfortunately, everything was not rosy for Foot Locker. Despite displaying good performance, its footwear segment suffered some weakness. The international business saw a slowdown in regions such as Asia Pacific, Europe, and Canada. In the U.S., the adverse winter weather hurt sales of running shoes. However, the runner and basketball footwear segments performed well internationally as a result of mild weather in most of Foot Locker's other markets. Basketball footwear proved to be a key growth driver for the company. Going forward, retailing Nike's shoes is expected to be one of Foot Locker's key growth drivers.

Future plans
Foot Locker is expecting a boost from retail sales of Nike's Jordan Brand shoes. Other signature basketball shoes such as LeBron, Kobe, and KD Footwear along with Foamposites have similarly been driving Foot Locker's sales. Looking ahead, Nike is showing signs of recovery in Europe, which is a positive for Foot Locker.

The European segment accounted for nearly 20% of Nike's sales; the company reported 11% revenue growth year over year. With the FIFA World Cup around the corner, Nike can easily sustain this run; it sponsors teams in England, France, and the Netherlands, which are the best European contenders.

Foot Locker is looking well positioned for 2014 and beyond with many remodeling programs and capital spending projects pending. The company expects to remodel 20% and 30% of its Foot Locker and Champ Sports stores, respectively, this year. Furthermore, it has great expectations for new Jordan 23 shops in Footaction. 

Foot Locker will also focus more on strengthening its women's business along with an international expansion. Foot Locker is looking to invest $220 million this year in a variety of store, digital, technology, and infrastructure projects with a view to diversify operations. The company operates more than 1,000 stores in 29 countries; it is looking at better sales numbers in the future driven by the likes of Nike, Adidas, ASICS, Under Armour, Mizuno, New Balance, and Puma.

A solid pick
Foot Locker's concentration on the footwear segment and its global presence are good advantages to have when compared to peers such as Dick's Sporting Goods While Dick's Sporting Goods addresses more market segments such as hunting, apparel, bikes, fitness equipment, etc., it will not be able to able to reap the benefits of the FIFA World Cup as the company operates only in the U.S. Even though Dick's Sporting Goods' growth rate has topped the industry's average, Foot Locker may do better going forward. In addition, Dick's concentration in the U.S. exposes it to domestic headwinds such as a colder weather and weak consumer spending patterns. For example, in the previous quarter, Dick's saw weak sales in the hunting and golf segment as cold weather across the U.S. kept people indoors. Also, the company issued a weak guidance.

Apart from the FIFA World Cup, Foot Locker also has a stronger balance sheet than Dick's Sporting Goods. Foot Locker ended the recent quarter with $867 million in cash, while Dick's Sporting Goods had $182 million. Also, Foot Locker has an operating margin of 10.3%, which is much better than Dick's 8.8%. And finally, Foot Locker's dividend yield of 2% swings the game further in its favor, as Dick's yields just 0.9%.

Bottom line
Needless to say, Foot Locker's prospects look good. The company's expansion strategy and upcoming products from vendors such as Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, and Puma should help Foot Locker sustain growth momentum. This should lead to stock price appreciation and shareholder returns. All told, these facts make Foot Locker worth a closer look by Foolish investors. 

Source: McDonald's.

So, you don't want to go to McDonald's , Burger King , or Wendy's ? Given the reputations for these quick-service restaurants regarding unhealthy fast food, that's understandable. After all, consumers are more health-conscious now than at any point in human history. However, all three of these restaurants have recently launched their most powerful weapon available: free stuff!

If you're keen to standard business practices, then you might already know that free isn't a good way to drive sales. At least you might think you already know that free isn't a good way to drive sales.

The truth is, the consumer environment has changed. The three aforementioned companies are changing along with this trend, at least to a certain extent. Believe it or not, Burger King might have already proven that free works. McDonald's might have picked up on this, then decided to offer its own and more powerful version of free.  

Satisfrying the king
In October 2013, Burger King announced an unprecedented move, which was to give away free Satisfries for an entire weekend. The only restriction was one order per customer. Via marketing, Burger King suggested customers bring along family and friends.

This initiative might have led to improving comps numbers in the fourth quarter. For instance, first look at global comps results for 2013. Though comps improved 0.5% over 2012, this wasn't as impressive as 2012 over 2011: 3.2%. Additionally, comps in the U.S. and Canada declined 0.9% in 2013, considerably weaker than the 3% comps gain Burger King delivered for the U.S. and Canada in 2012.

On the other hand, if you only look at the fourth quarter, global comps jumped 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. And while a comps increase of 0.2% in the U.S. and Canada isn't overly impressive, it's still "north of the border." It's possible, if not likely, that Burger King's free promotion drove a lot of new customers to Burger King restaurants, who then enjoyed their dining experiences and opted to return later that month as well as in November and December. 

This is all positive news for Burger King, but it might have led to similar moves from its peers as well. For example, Wendy's is also offering its own version of free, but this is less publicized and not likely to have as much of an impact.

A flyer on the door
Yesterday, I noticed a flyer on my door from Wendy's. The flyer read: "A Grand Reopening with Great Savings! See what's new and celebrate the savings. Don't forget to try our flavorful Redhead Roasters coffee." This was followed by four coupons.

First coupon: Free Dave's Hot 'N Juicy Single Cheeseburger (with purchase of small or larger fries and drink)

Second coupon: Free Medium Iced Coffee (vanilla, caramel, mocha, or skinny vanilla) with any purchase

Third coupon: $1 Off any Full Size Salad

Fourth coupon: $1.99 any Wendy's Kids' Meal (limit 2)

As you will see below, McDonald's is currently running a free coffee campaign (without any strings attached). Therefore, if I'm going to try a new coffee, it will be at McDonald's, not Wendy's.

Whether the other promotions look enticing or not is up to you. If you feel they are, then it's likely other consumers will as well. If you don't feel these promotions are enticing, then it's likely others won't, either. Wendy's has done a good job rebranding itself, but Burger King and McDonald's are now upping their games with aggressive promotions, which have the potential to drive significant foot traffic to their restaurants and away from Wendy's. 

Nothing beats free
Now through April 13, McDonald's is giving away small cups of McCafe coffee. There are several reasons for this move. One reason is to steal customers from Burger King and Wendy's. That's the most obvious reason. A second reason is to fight off Taco Bell's waffle taco launch. While there might be a lot of hype about this launch, and while potential exists, McDonald's still has an enormous advantage. Not only does McDonald's own a 31% share of the breakfast category, making it the clear leader, but many consumers go to McDonald's for their morning coffee, which isn't the case for Taco Bell. The third reason for this initiative is to gain share from Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts.

McDonald's might not be seeing the same kind of growth it did in the past because of the rise of the health-conscious consumer, but the caffeine-loving consumer hasn't gone anywhere. McDonald's is playing to this trend. Approximately 20% of McDonald's sales comes from breakfast. It wouldn't be surprising to see this percentage increase over the next several years. And promotions like limited-time free coffee are an excellent way to get the word out. It might not help margins in the near term, but it could lead to new customer retention and have a positive long-term impact.

The Foolish bottom line
McDonald's is dealing with competition from every angle, but it's heading in the right direction by committing more energy to its McCafe brand. Giving away free small coffees for a limited time should definitely increase foot traffic and will likely lead to new customer retention. If this promotion is effective, then McDonald's can leverage its massive brand strength and marketing power to implement similar promotions in the future, providing the company with an opportunity to steal share from all aforementioned rival brands.

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" debuts in the U.S. this weekend. Credit: Disney/Marvel

It's time to gear up, Marvel fans, because this weekend Disney Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier is finally rolling out to nearly 4,000 theaters in the U.S.

If Winter Soldier's impressive $10.2 million gross from late-night Thursday showings is any indication, the long-awaited sequel could be poised for the largest-ever April box office launch. For that, it'll need to beat the $86.2 million achieved this time three years ago by Fast Five.

However, it's hard to compare apples to apples because Fast Five began its first weekend with $3.7 million from Thursday midnight showings alone. This in mind, I still like Winter Soldier's chances considering Thor: The Dark World grossed "only" $7.1 million from late-Thursday showings last November en route to an impressive $85.7 million opening weekend. April is generally a slower month at the box office than November, but if Winter Soldier's Thursday success carries over to any meaningful extent, it could easily rack up between $90 million and $100 million in the U.S. over the next three days.

Combine that with the $95.4 million in sales already amassed by Winter Soldier over the past week from 32 smaller international territories, and it looks like Disney and Marvel already have yet another big hit on their hands. That's a great thing considering Disney spent an enormous $170 million to produce Winter Soldier, or a $30 million increase over its 2011 predecessor.

Nothing can stop Cap now
Moreover, as the only new film entering wide release this weekend, there's little standing in the way of Winter Soldier's immediate success.

Specifically, the box office's most recent blockbuster stands in the form of Viacom  Paramount's $125 million biblical epic, Noah, which launched last weekend to a better-than-expected $44 million. Noah goes into this weekend with $104.1 million in worldwide sales already under its belt, roughly half of which has come from stateside audiences. All things considered, and with Captain America set to steal its thunder in the world's largest market this weekend, that leaves a long road for Noah to recoup Viacom's $125 million outlay.

Next, Lions Gate's Divergent is already entering its third weekend after grabbing just $26.5 million in week two. As of right now, Divergent's worldwide gross stands a touch above $107 million, of which $99.5 million came from from the U.S. so far.

Even still, keep in mind Lions Gate only spent $85 million to bring its latest dystopian future to life, and Divergent has yet to roll out in more than 20 international markets. Nonetheless, while that provides plenty of breathing room for Divergent to ultimately prove a financial success for Lions Gate, it shouldn't so much as put a dent in Winter Soldier's results.

costco.com

Investors look at everything from earnings-per-share results to same-store sales to cash flow expectations, but many investors tend to overlook one of the most important factors of all.

Company culture is imperative to a company's long-term success. If an employee is happy, then he (or she) is likely to produce more. This positive attitude spreads, which leads to the likelihood of increased productivity from other employees.

On the other end of the spectrum, if an employee is unhappy, production will decline. That negative attitude is also likely to be passed on to other workers. In addition to a lack of productivity, this can lead to poor customer service. It's also likely that a company like this will show a high turnover rate, which is often a red flag.

Costco Wholesale scores better than Wal-Mart Stores and Target  for company culture while outperforming them on the top line and the bottom line over the past five years, and for stock appreciation over the past three years. It's often said that it all starts at the top. This is true, but that leader must implement an attitude that's positive and effective. Costco's CEO, Craig Jelinek, has done this fascinatingly well. We'll get back to Costco soon. First, let's focus on Wal-Mart. One way way to find out how a company is performing in the company culture arena is to visit Glassdoor.com.

Treading water 

According to Glassdoor, employees have given Wal-Mart an overall rating of 2.9 of 5.0, and only 47% of employees would recommend the company to a friend. The most recent reviews have been positive, which might offer some hope, but keep in mind that this is a small sampling. 

Recent anonymous reviews by anonymous employees have mentioned flexible hours, employee discounts, good benefits, a fast-paced atmosphere, and understandable management. As of late, there has only been one recurring negative, which was a lack of advancement opportunities; this was often stemming from favoritism for others due to personal relationships.

Wal-Mart might cater to a different income crowd than Target, but there are still significant overlaps since they're both big-box stores offering discounts. Prior to Target's data breach, Target possessed a stronger reputation among consumers, primarily thanks to friendly employees, clean and organized shelves, bright lighting, and wide aisles. However, when it comes to company culture, Target is average. 

Customers first
Overall, employees have rated Target a 3.2 of 5.0, and 62% of employees would recommend the company to a friend. Recent anonymous employee reviews on Glassdoor haven't been positive. 

One employee stated that she was laid off without being told. Another employee asked to be excused because she was vomiting in the bathroom and didn't want to stand at the register in that state. She was told to tough it out or she would be fired. A third employee explained that if you dedicate your life to Target, you will be rewarded handsomely, but that you will have to sacrifice almost almost all family time. This same reviewer put it plainly: "Target cares more about its guests than its team members. Team members can be replaced. Guests can not." Just like at Wal-Mart, advancement opportunities often favored those who had personal relationships with management.

With Target employees not seeming to be happy, you have to wonder if this could be an indirect result of the data breach. Since the data breach, Target has tried hard to cut costs and please its customers in every way. While cutting costs and doing everything possible for customers can be positives, they can also put more pressure on employees. This, in turn, could lead to increased animosity, less production, and eventual weakening customer service. This isn't a guarantee, just a possibility.

Hitting on all cylinders
Take a look at the aforementioned Costco. First consider that it has delivered top-line growth of 49.55% over the past five years, superior to Wal-Mart and Target, delivering top-line growth of 18.05% and 11.72%, respectively. Costco has also outperformed its peers on the bottom line over the same time frame, delivering net income growth of 76.98% versus 19.56% for Wal-Mart, and decline of 7.69% for Target. In addition to that, over the past three years, Costco has delivered stock appreciation of 73.60%, whereas Wal-Mart and Target have delivered stock appreciation of 56.99% and 29.91%. 

It's not a coincidence that employees have rated Costco at 3.8 of 5.0 overall, and that 82% of employees would recommend the company to a friend. Employees who are paid and treated the best are going to be the most productive. This then increases the odds for fueling top-line growth faster than peers. It's that simple. 

Positives mentioned by Costco employees include a fast-paced environment, great co-workers, growth potential, and excellent benefits. There were very few negatives. One potential negative was physical work, but other employees looked at this as a positive. 

The Foolish bottom line
Wal-Mart might be making strides in the company culture department, which could be the beginning of a positive long-term trend. This would have the potential to lead to increased production and improved customer experiences. Target, on the other hand, appears to be heading in the wrong direction in this regard; this might relate to the company being under a lot of pressure due to the recent data breach. At Costco, all is well. Please do your own research prior to making any investment decisions. And if you're looking to invest what could be the top two investments in retail right now, then continue reading. 

Monthly nonfarm payroll numbers came out today, and Wall Street found little to applaud about March's labor market. Nonfarm payrolls were expected to increase by at least 200,000 last month, but came in just short at 192,000. Poor numbers like today's will get harder and harder to blame on weather as Mother Nature finally gives us a reprieve from a harsh winter. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 159 points, or 1%, to end at 16,412.

Mickey is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Disney's portfolio of characters

Walt Disney , which shed 1.5% on Friday, wasn't the only blue-chip stock to lose ground today. Twenty-six of 30 Dow stocks finished in the red, as markets pulled back from a strong showing earlier in the week. This weekend should be big for Disney, as Captain America: The Winter Soldier fully launches in the U.S. today. While early box office numbers from abroad were weaker than both Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, one might expect that Captain America, by the very virtue of the name, is poised for a better showing domestically.

One of the rare advancers of the day, Potbelly shares jumped 4.8% Friday. The stock benefited from an analyst upgrade, as research firm William Blair bestowed upon the stock an outperform rating, an improvement from its prior rating of market perform. Shares of the sandwich shop, which went public in October, have slumped 30% this year, and William Blair analysts think this sell-off is unwarranted. Fast casual is all the rage right now, and I tend to be weary of a newly public company like Potbelly capitalizing on current fads. 

Lastly, shares of Lionbridge Technologies slumped 7.2% today, as the broad-market sell-off was too much for the $350 million language services company. Lionbridge's offering is most certainly not a fad: people and businesses are going to need translation services as long as the world remains interconnected. I worry with Lionbridge's stock, however, that the small-cap company isn't growing quickly enough -- sales advanced by less than 7% annually between 2009 and 2013 -- to justify its 31 P/E price tag.