Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH) reported earnings for the fourth quarter earlier this week. How does the stock look now that the latest numbers are out?

Well, from a fundamental point of view, things are looking pretty good. According to Reuters, the apparel concern made an adjusted 93 cents per share. Talk about a beat: that number was ten pennies above the consensus projection. In terms of guidance, management expects to bring in an adjusted profit between $4.70 and $4.95 per share over the next fiscal year; Wall Street was thinking that $4.75 per share was likely.

Continue reading Phillips-Van Heusen: Buy or Sell?

Phillips-Van Heusen: Buy or Sell? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This year get ready to open your wallet wider and expect higher credit card bills for the basics like food, clothing and energy. You are probably wondering what is going on. While you weren't paying much attention, the price raw commodities surged in 2010. Corn, sugar, wheat, cotton, coffee and soybeans prices soared last year, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.

A confluence of factors pushed prices up. We had and still have demand explosion from China and India. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's monthly food index which monitors a basket of commodities including meat, dairy and sugar rose for the sixth straight month to a record.

Continue reading Higher Commodity Prices Are Grabbing Your Money

Higher Commodity Prices Are Grabbing Your Money originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Men's Wearhouse, Inc. (MW) is being punished today. Just before the end of the session, the company's shares were down almost 17% to $23.87. Not that you have to be told this, but volume was huge.

What the heck happened? It's a simple case of an outlook that isn't up to Wall Street's standards. According to Bloomberg, the third quarter went well enough. On an adjusted basis, the chain made 57 cents per share. That was nine pennies above the overall projection.

Continue reading Men's Wearhouse Not Looking Good After Q3 Report

Men's Wearhouse Not Looking Good After Q3 Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Higher Cotton Prices Will Push Up Apparel Costs in 2011

Higher Cotton Prices Will Push Up Apparel Costs in 2011 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On Monday, Standpoint Research initiated a Buy rating on shares of retailer True Religion Apparel (TRLG). The stock soared more than 6% on the bullish outlook. It closed at $22.07 Tuesday. Given Standpoint's $33 price target -- a potential 58% return from last Friday's closing price -- the move may have been more than justified.

The tide appears to be turning in on TRLG. The stock is down a little less than 20% on the six-month chart, but it has risen more than 14% over the last five trading days, and seems poised to continue its ascent Wednesday. Money is clearly pouring into this name and the retail sector as a whole is heating up.

Continue reading True Religion Could Offer Big Returns

True Religion Could Offer Big Returns originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Phillips-Van Heusen Earnings Beat Wall Street in Q2

Phillips-Van Heusen Earnings Beat Wall Street in Q2 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Guess (GES) looked like an investment idea worthy of consideration back in March. Since then, the stock, like many others, has taken a tumble, as the following chart will explain. As expected, I've become a bit bearish on the shares.

But should I be? You can't always judge an equity by its chart. I had enjoyed the fourth-quarter results. And now, here I am highlighting the Q2 numbers. They were good, too. According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, the company made 72 cents per share on the bottom line. Management beat the analyst call by four pennies.

Continue reading Guess: Buy or Sell After Second Quarter?

Guess: Buy or Sell After Second Quarter? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Sex(y) Sells: Abercrombie Bringing Back Controversial Catalog

Sex(y) Sells: Abercrombie Bringing Back Controversial Catalog originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading J. Crew Group's Q1: Income and Comps Were Beyond Cool

J. Crew Group's Q1: Income and Comps Were Beyond Cool originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ann Taylor (ANN) closed higher this past Friday by a whopping 8%. It increased $1.73 to $21.96. Volume was well above average, an indication of conviction behind the trade. Wall Street gave the retailer a thumbs-up after its most recent quarterly report.

The stock has been an interesting one over the past twelve months. As I've mentioned before, it's been difficult figuring out exactly where the market wants to take it. Yet, when you step back and have a look at the one-year chart, you see what appears to be a bias to the upside. The right side of the graphic shows a little volatility that has pulled the stock down from the 52-week high of $25.24. Have we been presented with a buying opportunity?

Continue reading Ann Taylor Generates Profit, Better Comps in Q1

Ann Taylor Generates Profit, Better Comps in Q1 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 May 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Phillips Van-Heusen Corp. (PVH) issued Q4 numbers Monday after the bell. The apparel maker, which recently purchased the Tommy Hilfiger brand, doubled its adjusted income to 61 cents per share. That was two pennies ahead of estimates. The top line increased 9%, also on an adjusted basis.

When you compare the fourth quarter's growth rates to the performance of the full fiscal year, you'll see a clear advantage to the former. This is hopefully indicative of a bright future course.

Continue reading Phillips-Van Heusen Tops Estimates, the Future Looks Bright

Phillips-Van Heusen Tops Estimates, the Future Looks Bright originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you are a shareholder of apparel entity Perry Ellis (PERY), you probably aren't so happy about the price action seen on Friday. The stock was off by 9%, on strong volume. The market just wasn't buying the earnings news.

What happened? According to Reuters, the situation didn't seem so bad. The company made 64 cents per share in the fourth quarter. That was a lot better than the $1.58 per-share loss observed in the comparable period twelve months ago. Furthermore, estimates were set at 59 cents per share. Come on, what gives? Plus, if you look at the actual press release, you'll find some encouraging commentary from management. The worst of the economic problems is hopefully behind the business; in addition, cash flow appears to be decent.

Continue reading Perry Ellis Sold Off on Q4 Earnings

Perry Ellis Sold Off on Q4 Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Guess (GES), a fashion concept whose related companies include Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), Gap (GPS), and Polo Ralph Lauren (RL), posted fourth-quarter results Wednesday after the bell. Adjusted income went up well over 40% to 96 cents per diluted share. According to Earnings.com, Wall Street believed 81 cents per share would be the bottom-line number.

Total net sales increased 14%. Same-store sales were up 5.3% (they were better by 2% if you look at the metric in constant dollars). Net cash from operating activities over the last twelve months experienced significant expansion.

Continue reading Guess Profit Surges: Time to Buy?

Guess Profit Surges: Time to Buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I'm characterizing this as odd because I guess I was expecting to see a big beat on the bottom line after observing the strong rally in the stock. At the time of this writing, shares of the retailer were trading higher by over 6%, with tons of volume backing the bid.

Continue reading American Eagle Outfitters Rallies on Q4 Stats

American Eagle Outfitters Rallies on Q4 Stats originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

J. Crew Group (JCG), an apparel chain whose related stocks include Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), Gap (GPS), and JCPenney (JCP), reported strong sales and earnings yesterday after the bell. I'm impressed; I have to say, like I did the last time, bravo to an excellent quarter.

Overall sales rose 19% in Q4, according to the corporate press release. Same-store revenues increased 17%. Earnings per share were 61 cents on a diluted basis. A loss of 22 cents was recorded twelve months ago. As far as the analysts go, they should be pleased. Then again, they probably should be disappointed, since their projections were completely taken out (I guess it all depends on one's perspective). Either way, the call was for net income to come in around 46 cents per share.

Continue reading J. Crew Posts Strong Q4: Time to Take Profits?

J. Crew Posts Strong Q4: Time to Take Profits? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The first thing to know is that you can basically disregard the 73% increase in total sales. Remember that this was the result of an acquisition, which I mentioned back in September. The same-store revenue metric really comes into play with this report: it went up a very appealing 10%. On an adjusted basis, the business made 37 cents per share. What a difference a year makes, because in the comparable frame, 3 cents per share was actually lost.

Continue reading Dress Barn Up on Q2 Results: Too Late to Buy?

Dress Barn Up on Q2 Results: Too Late to Buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The 2009 equity market recovery has led to an increase in Q ratios for the world's largest retailers. What does this mean? They're using their tangible assets effectively and have demonstrated the strength of intangible factors, such as brand and operational efficiency, to create shareholder value.

"Q" is the ratio of a public company's market capitalization to the market value of its tangible assets. So, a Q ratio of above one means that investors value the company's non-tangible assets -- e.g., brand, differentiation, innovation, customer experience and customer loyalty -- and see these factors as reasons to pay a higher price per share. A company with a Q ratio of below one can't generate a sufficient return on its physical assets. According to Deloitte, this could create an arbitrage opportunity, as it may be ripe for an acquisition.

Continue reading Emerging Markets and Electronics Retailers Sport Best Intangible Values

Emerging Markets and Electronics Retailers Sport Best Intangible Values originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The first estimates for the holiday shopping season have come in. MasterCard (MA) Advisors unit SpendingPulse, which tracks retail spending, puts the result at a year-over-year increase of 3.6%. This includes all form of payment and does not factor in gas and auto sales. The increase comes relative to the 2008 holiday season, which was the worst season in decades for retailers thanks to the global financial crisis.

Says Kamalesh Rao, director of economic research at SpendingPulse, "Last year the economy and consumer spending were in free fall. This year we're talking about an environment that has stabilized, that has seen a leveling off." But, that doesn't mean it's turned the corner yet. Holiday spending isn't enough to cure what ails us.

Continue reading Early Estimates for Retail Sales Favor Online

Early Estimates for Retail Sales Favor Online originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Guess earnings indicate strength for retailers

Guess earnings indicate strength for retailers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading TJX: Back up the truck

TJX: Back up the truck originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.