By
Brian D. Pacampara
|
More Articles
December 2, 2010
|
Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Teen-focused retailer Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF ) saw its stock pop 10% in intraday trading today after posting a November same-store sales surge of 22%, which was well above analyst estimates of a 6.4% increase.
So what: Abercrombie is just one of several retailers benefitting from a strong start to the holiday shopping season. Big-box discounters like Costco (Nasdaq: COST ) and Target (NYSE: TGT ) , as well as retailers like The Buckle (NYSE: BKE ) and Macy's (NYSE: M ) , all posted better-than-expected November sales.
Now what: I'd use this Abercrombie pop as an opportunity to take at least some dough off the table. In recent quarters, Abercrombie's same-store sales declines have been some of the worst in the industry, as consumers have been reluctant to pay up for its premium apparel. I really don't think these results mark a complete reversal of that trend, and with cost-friendly Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO ) down big today on worse-than-expected sales, you'll have a cheap place to roll that bet over.
Interested in more info on Abercrombie? Add it to your watchlist.