Think back to how you felt about an hour after eating all of that food on Thanksgiving. To be honest, I didn't feel all that energetic the next morning either. Fighting crowds of "Black Friday" bargain hunters at 5:00 a.m. was not my idea of a good time, and it will never be a day I will mark on my calendar.
That being said, it appears that most retailers should expect shiny presents in its sales stockings this Christmas instead of a lump of coal or Charlie Brown's infamous rock. With women's clothing retailers such as Chico's (NYSE:CHS), Ann Taylor (NYSE:ANN), Talbot's (NYSE:TLB), and Limited Brands (NYSE:LTD) all producing strong October sales figures, the bar has been raised for November and December expectations.
The most consistent performer of the women's clothiers is Chico's, which continues to amaze investors with its robust growth. The company's third-quarter earnings of $0.41 per share was 38.6% better than last year's earnings of $0.30 per share and $0.03 better than the analysts' consensus estimate of $0.38 per share. Chico's not only produced strong sales and earnings but also generated a 60 basis point improvement in its operating margin and continued to generate strong cash flow.
Sales at Chico's zoomed up 28.1% in the quarter, and same-store sales grew 6.1%. In addition to operating 450 Chico's-branded stores, the company has also seen success in its 154 White House/Black Market stores. These locations generated a strong transaction increase, and both brands produced improved merchandising margins. The company also completed the launch of its intimate apparel concept test stores, called "Soma by Chico's."
In the category of "the rich get richer," the company's management said that "Even though our accomplishments to date have been significant, we believe that our best and biggest opportunities may lie ahead." You have to love it when a company shrugs off a blowout quarter and looks enthusiastically toward the future.
The shares have appreciated 35% over the past year and are up more than 10% in early trading today. With projected earnings growth in excess of 35% this year, the shares still appear relatively attractive at 26 times the expected 2004 earnings of $1.54 per share.
Few retailers have been as consistent as Chico's in terms of continuous sales growth and earnings improvement. If the best is yet to come, then investors definitely have a great deal to look forward to.
You don't have to get dressed up to view these other takes:
Fool contributor Phil Wohl spent more than 12 years on Wall Street and does not own shares in any of the company's mentioned above.
