I was checking out an article over at GuruFocus on companies that have recently raised their dividend payments to shareholders. The Gap, Inc. (GPS) was on the list. I decided to take a brief look at the stock's current status.

At the time of this writing, shares of the retailer were off fractionally, priced at a quote of $21.44. The 52-week low for the shares is $16.62 while the 52-week high is $26.34. Don't you hate that? The stock is basically stuck in the middle of the range. So which way is it going to go?

Shares of women's clothing retailer Chico's FAS Inc. (CHS) traded sharply higher Wednesday morning, despite missing its earnings estimate by one penny before the market opened.

Going into this fourth-quarter earnings report, analysts had been expecting to see earnings of $0.13 per share, but the company came up a bit shy at just $0.12.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) is a leading apparel company that primarily targets teens and young adults in the U.S. It competes with retailers like Aeropostale (ARO), Gap (GPS), J.Crew Group (JCG) and Urban Outfitters (URBN), and owns apparel brands such as A&F, Hollister and Gilly Hicks.

Looking at the Holiday Season

Our price estimate for Abercrombie & Fitch stock is $53.34, roughly 6% above market price. We estimate that A&F Stores account for 37% of the company's stock value compared to 29% for Hollister stores. The Internet & Catalog Orders contribute around 19%.

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.

The shares of Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (JNY), first discussed on December 15, 2009, at a price of $16.55, have exhibited sideways action during the past three months. The calculation is to keep the trade in play. Here's why:

Jones, a multi-brand apparel and accessories company that operates at both the wholesale and retail levels, will probably post an 8% to 10% revenue increase in 2010 revenue, followed by a 5% to 7% gain in 2011.

Men's Wearhouse (MW) is an intriguing stock as it's been a trading vehicle for the most part. Over the last twelve months, you can see that it's been up, then down, then up again, and then ... well, you get the picture. On Wednesday, the retailer, famous for its fine clothing lines for men, issued its Q1 report after the bell. At the time of this writing, the market was giving the numbers a big thumbs-up during the extended session, pushing the stock up over 5% to $19.66.

This got my notice because I'm wondering if the equity might be heading for another up-cycle. At the close of regular trading, the stock was down a little less than 1% to $18.67. The 52-week low is $16.51. Do you get the feeling that traders think this one got too beaten up?

When considering retail plays, one should tread carefully, as the sector, simply, is a minefield. But, Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (JNY), first discussed on December 15, 2009, at a price of $16.55, is likely sector survivor. Here's why:

Jones Apparel is a multibrand apparel and accessories company that operates at both the wholesale and retail levels.

Jones strategic decision to emphasize a few brands (Jones New York, Nine West, Gloria Vanderbilt, and l.e.i.) is working, and should post improving results as the U.S. economic expansion strengthens. Look for JNY's revenue to increase a decent 2-3% in 2010.

Upscale department store chain Nordstrom Inc. (JWN) posted first quarter earnings per share of 52 cents, slightly below the Thomson/Reuters First Call estimate of 55 cents, and given current market conditions, Wall Street, as expected, treated the shares rudely.

Shares of Nordstrom fell about $1 after the announcement, and have declined about $3 more, in-sync with the Dow's recent plunge, to trade at about $38.

In the first quarter, revenue rose 16.7% to $1.99 billion, with same store sales rising 12.0%. Each total obviously benefited from easy comparisons to the difficult 2009 year.

Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. (RL) is trading higher this afternoon on its fiscal fourth-quarter data. It's not shooting up like a rocket, but on a day when the markets are having a tough time seeing a bid, I'll take it.

At the time of this writing, shares of the company were up by $1.68, or nearly 2%, to $87.46. That's cool, but the volume is even better; it's multiple times the norm. There's conviction behind this move, huh? Question is, do you want to piggyback along for the ride?

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.

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.

Men's Wearhouse (MW) issued Q4 results on Wednesday. After looking through them, I've come to the conclusion that the company's stock is not one I'll be adding to my portfolio.

Situations can change, of course, but for now, the stats do nothing at all for me. Total revenues decreased 4%. Same-store sales were down at each concept; the actual Men's Wearhouse brand was down over 7%. According to Reuters, the adjusted loss per share was 11 cents. This beat the analysts: they were bracing for a loss of 16 cents per share.

Carter's Inc. (CRI), a retailer of children's apparel, reported Q3 earnings on Friday. The company delivered a nice increase in both sales and net income. It even beat earnings estimates. Yet, the stock is down over 3% as I write this. The market can be funny sometimes, huh?

The top line increased over 10%. Adjusted per-share profit came in at 84 cents. That represented a whopping increase over the adjusted 58 cents per share recorded one year ago. Carter's also experienced a good rise in comparable store sales; the statistic went up over 6%. The OshKosh segment didn't do so well with comps, however.

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.

Men's Wearhouse (NYSE: MW) issued second-quarter results after the bell on Wednesday. In terms of bottom-line performance, the retailer passed with flying colors. Earnings per share increased to 75 cents per share from the adjusted 72 cents per share observed a year ago. Granted, that's only a three-penny difference, but when it comes to expectations, well, they were blown out the door. According to Reuters, Wall Street was only preparing for 60 cents per share.

Unfortunately, the top-line picture wasn't so pretty. Total sales fell 3.5%, and same-store sales for all of the company's brands declined. The flagship Men's Wearhouse concept saw a comps dip of 2%.