Apparel Stocks Will Survive This Slump

Article Excerpt

The slowing economy has hurt sales of new clothing. This has in turn hurt earnings at these three apparel- focused companies. However, all three are aggressively cutting their costs, which will help them stay profitable during this slump. Lower costs will also help them quickly expand earnings as the economy rebounds. We still see all of them as buys for long-term gains. LIMITED BRANDS INC. $20 (New York symbol LTD; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 340.3 million; Market cap: $6.8 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) operates two main retail chains: Victoria’s Secret (lingerie) and Bath & Body Works (soaps and bath oils). It also operates the La Senza (lingerie) chain, in Canada and 44 other countries. Last year, the company sold 75% of its Express and Limited casual clothing chains, which generated lower profits for it than its other operations. In Limited Brand’s second fiscal quarter ended August 2, 2008, sales fell 11.5%, to $2.3 billion from $2.8 billion, partly due to the…