Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), and Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) are scheduled to report earnings next week, offering a chance to see how these apparel retailers have been doing in the lead-up to the holiday season.
Abercrombie hasn't fallen short of Wall Street's earnings expectations since Q2 2006. When it reported second quarter 2008 results back in August, earnings were 88 cents per share, beating the consensus estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial by a penny, as well as the actual 72 cents per share in the same period a year ago. For the third quarter, analysts expect $1.28 per share, up from $1.11 in the same period a year ago.
Abercrombie's 13.6% earnings per share growth forecast for the next year is better than the S&P 500, and much better than the apparel retail industry average of -0.5%. The analysts' consensus recommendation has been to buy Abercrombie for at least six months, but about half of those analysts rate it a hold. The share price reached a 10-year high of $85.77 earlier this month, before sliding to close Friday at $75.01.
For news about Abercrombie and other retailers that could influence the earnings results, check out BloggingStocks' Abercrombie & Fitch coverage.
The Gap has beat earnings estimates in the past six quarters, and its 21 cents per share in the second quarter 2008 report back in August beat expectations by two cents. That was down from 21 cents in the same period of the previous year. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expect earnings of 29 cents per share for the third quarter, two cents better than a year ago.
The Gap's forecast earnings per share growth of 13.5% over the next year is better than the S&P 500, and again much better than the apparel retail industry average of -0.5%. The consensus recommendation from the analysts is to buy The Gap, having shifted from hold this past summer. The share price has climbed from a 52-week low of $15.20 in August, and closed Friday at $20.09.
For more on management and labor issues and other news that may influence The Gap's results, see BloggingStocks' The Gap coverage.
Nordstrom beat Wall Street expectations in the first two quarters of 2008. Its 71 cents per share in the second quarter beat estimates by two cents, and was up from the 67 cents in the same period of the previous year. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expect earnings of 52 cents per share for the third quarter, the same as the actual EPS a year ago.
Nordstrom's forecast earnings per share growth over the next year is is only 5.5 percent, but the three to five year forecast of 44.9% looks much better. After being buy for the past six months, the consensus recommendation from the analysts has recently shifted to hold Nordstrom. The share price fell to a 52-week low of $31.82 last week, and closed Friday at $32.51.
For more Nordstrom and retail industry news that may influence Nordstrom's results, see BloggingStocks' Nordstrom coverage.
Nordstrom is scheduled to report earnings on Monday, Abercrombie and The Gap on Wednesday.
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