THE JONES GROUP INC. $15 – New York symbol JNY

THE JONES GROUP INC. $15 (New York symbol JNY; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 87.1 million; Market cap: $1.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; Dividend yield: 1.3%; WSSF Rating: Average) is the new name of Jones Apparel Group. The company designs clothing, accessories and… Read More

Top brands, lower costs limit their risk

Clothing sales are rising as the economy continues to recover. However, fashion trends are fickle, and consumers are often quick to switch brands.

The six clothing designers and sellers we analyze below own some of the top brand names in the industry. That will help them… Read More

Popular brands will lure shoppers back

Consumer confidence is rising in the U.S., but the recovery remains fragile. To cut your risk, we look for consumer companies with well-known brands, like these three clothing retailers. Their strong brands should help them keep increasing sales, both in the U.S. and overseas. But… Read More

Jones’cost cuts mask weak sales

JONES APPAREL GROUP INC. $16 (New York symbol JNY; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 85.4 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.4; WSSF Rating: Average) gets about half of its sales by selling its clothing through department stores. In the second quarter… Read More

These Three Will Survive the Slump

Slowing retail sales and weak consumer confidence have hurt most consumer stocks. Clothing is largely a discretionary purchase, so the downturn has been particularly hard on these three apparel-related companies. Based on the steep drop in their stock prices, it appears that investors feel they… Read More

Jones Apparel Group Inc. $19 – New York symbol JNY

JONES APPAREL GROUP INC. $19 (New York symbol JNY; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 83.4 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) designs clothing, accessories and footwear under several brands, including Jones New York, Gloria Vanderbilt and Nine West.

The company is starting… Read More