It has been a tough start of the day for Jones Apparel Group (NYSE: JNY) after reporting an unexpected second quarter loss this morning. The stock fell sharply this morning, setting a new 52-week low.

Analysts had expected a profit of $0.31 per share, and were stunned by the loss of $0.44 per share. Excluding some special items, the company earned $0.17 per share, marking the second straight quarter that the company has failed to meet estimates.

The company blamed its poor performance on a tough retail market, which led to weak same stores sales. The troubles that the retail market created forced Jones to slash many of its prices just to get some of its excess inventory out the door.

Also making news this morning was the company's decision to sell its subsidiary Barneys New York Inc. The company has accepted a $900 million offer from Fast Retailing. Jones bought Barneys New York, a chain of upscale department stores, for $400 million.

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Jones Apparel earnings disappoint originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 10:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.