Women’s Retail Clothing Industry Sets an Uptrend (ANN, CHRS, CHS)

Retail clothing stores like Ann Inc (NYSE:ANN), Charming Shoppes, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHRS), and Chico's FAS, Inc. (NYSE:CHS) that cater to women have made significant share valuation gains recently as economic recovery confidence has turned women from buying necessities like household items to disposable income items like a new dress or a new pair of shoes. 

Look at CHS for example and its Q4 numbers. Chico's FAS said today its fiscal Q4 profit jumped 21% because of higher sales and a recent acquisition. The Q4 numbers beat the ‘Street’ and the Company even issued positive guidance for the rest of 2012.

Chico's earned just above $25 million or 15 cents per share; up from $20.7 million, or 12 cents per share from a year ago Q4. Revenue rose 20% to $569.2 million from $475 million. Revenue at stores open at least a year, a key retail metric, rose 8.7% as the number of sales and customers' average amount spent both increased. 

CHS was trading in the $10.11 range on Nov 25 and is currently trading in the $14.83 range; a gain of 46.6% in three months.

There’s another handsome share valuation gain at CHRS during those three months: Charming Shoppes shares were trading in the $3.30 range on Nov 25 and are currently trading in the $5.23 range; a gain of 54.8%.
On Jan 20 CHRS announced some management changes: Bryan Q. Eshelman was promoted to EVP and Chief Supply Chain Officer and Donna Isralsky joined Charming Shoppes as SVP of Strategic Sourcing, reporting to Eshelman. 

And on the subject of management changes ANN was trading in the $21.74 range on Nov 25 and is currently trading in the $24.30 range; a gain of 11.77% during the same three months. ANN was formerly known as Ann Taylor. 

On Feb 2 the Company said that Brian Lynch will hold the position of Brand President of the Ann Taylor Division. Total Company comparable sales for Q4 ’11 increased 5% and during the fiscal fourth quarter, ANN repurchased approximately 3.1 million shares of its stock, totaling approximately $75 million.

I haven’t, don’t, and do not intend on holding any of the companies mentioned in this article.