Trying to find clothes that fit me has been difficult at times in my life, being that I am six-foot-six and weigh a fit 250 pounds. The two stores that I have shopped at for many years are Syms (NYSE:SYM) and Marshalls, which is part of TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX).
Being a 48 Extra Long has its drawbacks, but it has never been a problem for me to find decent suits at Syms. I am told that the rest of the free world is more reasonably sized, which gives play to other men's stores such as Men's Wearhouse (NYSE:MW), Federated Department Stores (NYSE:FD), May Department Stores (NYSE:MAY), and JoS. A. Bank (NASDAQ:JOSB). While the clothes at JoS. A. Bank have never really caught my eye, the company's recent performance certainly has.
JoS. A. Bank, which reported decent third-quarter numbers today, seems to have a knack for managing its bottom line. The company's sales were up 15%, strengthened by a 19% gain in combined catalog and Internet sales, while its same-store sales were held to only a 0.4% increase.
The company's gross margins advanced 100 basis points on only 12% higher cost of goods sold. Earnings grew 20% to $0.24 per share (from $0.20 per share), which was in line with analysts' expectations. This represents the 13th consecutive quarter of record earnings per share for the company. The market, alas, has reacted negatively thus far, plunging the stock down 7.5% by mid-day.
JoS. A. Bank sells men's classically styled tailored and casual clothing, footwear, sportswear, and accessories through 262 stores in 37 states and the District of Columbia. In comparison, Men's Wearhouse operates 702 stores and Syms has a small empire of 38 "off price" apparel stores.
If you're willing to overlook the fact that JoS. A. Bank seems to be in a negative free cash flow spiral, it appears that there is value in "dressing for success." The shares are trading at 15 times this year's earnings of $1.68 per share and only 12.8 times next year's earnings estimate of $2.04 per share. These multiples compare very favorably relative to the company's expected earnings growth rates of 41% and 21% over the next two years.
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Fool contributor Phil Wohl spent over 12 years on Wall Street and does not own shares in any of the company's mentioned above.
