Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF -5.53%) are trading higher this week. The company's stock jumped 9.7% as of 2:15 p.m. ET. The move up comes as the S&P 500 (^GSPC -0.01%) and the Nasdaq-100 were up 1.4% and 1.1%, respectively.
The clothing retailer released its quarterly numbers on Wednesday, beating Wall Street targets at a time when other retailers are struggling.
Abercrombie is growing
Abercrombie posted a strong quarter and set relatively optimistic guidance, even in the face of uncertainty around Trump's tariffs. The company delivered earnings per share (EPS) of $1.59 on sales of $1.10 billion for the quarter, beating consensus expectations of $1.39 on $1.07 billion in sales.
Investors were pleased with the performance, willing to look past the company's downward adjustments to its forecast of earnings and margins for the full year. The company was projecting EPS between $10.40 and $11.40, but now expects between $9.50 and $10.50. Operating margins guidance was also cut, from 14%-15% to 12.5%-13.5%. While downgrades are rarely well received, they were less than many anticipated, given Trump's introduction of sweeping tariffs in April.
Image source: Getty Images.
CEO Fran Horowitz was pleased, telling investors the quarter beat "expectations and was supported by broad-based growth across our three regions," attributing the success primarily to the Hollister brand, which "led the performance with growth of 22%, achieving its best-ever first-quarter net sales." She also noted that sales growth for Abercrombie's core brand had slowed slightly, but is still in the double digits.
Is Abercrombie a buy?
Abercrombie has reinvented itself, no longer the controversial brand of the early 2000s. It continues to show strong, resilient growth at a time when many clothing retailers are struggling. I think it is a solid pick.
