The first-quarter earnings season for 2020 is about to kick off and Bed Bath & Beyond ($BBBY) looks to be one of January's first successful retailer reports in what's expected to be a choppy year for many brands. The home goods retailer is up against big challenges as a growing number of online competitors launch delivery offerings for similar products, but the stock regained its footing in what was a challenging 2019 - and data as we head into 2020 suggests Bed Bath & Beyond may keep bouncing back. 

At a time when many other retailers are struggling to staff up for the holiday season, it looks like Bed Bath & Beyond didn't have too much trouble. The home goods retailer added 23% more job postings for the holiday season and appeared to take most of them offline as the holidays came and went. Most of the roles were for retail and seasonal positions, too (data not shown) 

It's notable that Bed Bath & Beyond is continuing to add job postings because the company may be cutting more locations in the future - something we've tracked at Thinknum Media in the past. The company is still committed to opening some new locations, as well. 

One area where Bed Bath & Beyond backers might be bummed is on the company's Facebook ($FB) Talking About Count, which tracks a decline - especially beginning in early 2019. 

Bed Bath & Beyond is expected to announce EPS of $0.03 when it reports results January 8, according to analysts tracked by Zacks Investment Research - over 2019, shares dipped, but then rose and gained more than 40% on the year. 

There is yet plenty of reasons to remain optimistic on Bed Bath & Beyond, Guggenheim analysts noted in a report dated December 17, 2019. While there is a widespread need for C-suite additions with Bed Bath & Beyond, the arrival of CEO Mark Tritton and his presentation to analysts and investors next quarter of plans to recapture the retailer's market momentum could further juice shares (which rose more than 20% on the news of Tritton's arrival), the analysts noted.

And, on top of that, Bed Bath & Beyond has a nationwide web of multi-branded home goods stores - which our map above tracks. Guggenheim analysts are 'neutral' on the stock, but after a big bounceback they have to admit: "change is taking hold at a quicker pace than we anticipated - a positive for sentiment." 

About the Data: 

Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales. 

Further Reading: 

Ad placeholder