These three will survive current slump

Article Excerpt

Apparel companies have to deal with all sorts of factors outside of their control, such as bad weather and unpredictable fashion shifts. This increases the uncertainty of earnings, as well as the volatility of their stock price. While these three top apparel companies have struggled in the past few months, our view is that their well-established brands will help them overcome their recent setbacks. All three are also cheap in relation to their long-term prospects. LIZ CLAIBORNE INC. $34 (New York symbol LIZ; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 104.5 million; Market cap: $3.6 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) designs and markets a wide variety of clothing and accessories for men and women. The company sells most of its products through department stores. However, the recent merger of Federated Department Stores and May Department Stores has hurt its sales. Many retailers are also selling more private label apparel, which has hurt demand for Liz Claiborne’s national brands. Weakness in its wholesale business forced…