Will 2018 Be J. C. Penney Company, Inc.'s Best Year Yet?

J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) has struggled mightily as the entire retail world has evolved. The company has avoided becoming a casualty of the so-called "retail apocalypse," but it has not shown that it has a clear path to success -- or even survival.

There have been some recent signs that the company may finally be turning a corner, along with some that it's continuing to struggle. J.C. Penney reported that Q3 comparable store sales rose by 1.7%, while overall sales dropped by 1.8% to $2.81 billion, compared to $2.86 billion in the same period last year. The drop was mostly due to stores closing, but the retailer did also see its losses grow to $128 million from $67 million in Q3 2016.

The company blamed that increase on "increased cost of goods sold, restructuring charges associated with the store closures and a charge related to settlement accounting on the company's pension plan." CEO Marvin Ellison explained what happened in his remarks in the Q3 earnings release:

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Source: Fool.com