Jos. A. Bank
For the first quarter, Jos. A. Bank earned $8.4 million, up 42.6% from the first quarter last year. Sales gained 14% to $129.5 million. Comps increased 3.8%, thanks to a 13.5% gain in May, which was primarily attributed to growth in customer traffic. The company reported success in its hot Stay Cool sportswear lineup. Sales were also boosted by its furnishings line, which is the company's designation for its collection of shirts, ties, shoes, and accessories.
It's obvious that Jos. A. Bank has put its scary performance behind it. The company has even managed to trim its inventories, alleviating concerns that it may have been keeping too much merchandise in stores. Unfortunately, investors may have missed out on the chance to get in on this one during its brief slowdown.
Some (myself included) may be concerned that Jos. A. Bank can't possibly maintain its recent level of performance, and, therefore, don't see much value in the stock. In fact, less than two months ago, my Foolish colleague David Meier declared it didn't present the value proposition he desired. With its stock price growing so rapidly since then, it certainly can't be cheap now. Or can it?
You would probably be surprised to learn that, on a trailing P/E basis, Jos. A. Bank is actually a better value than Men's Wearhouse
For more stylish reading, check out:
- A Handsome Q1 for Jos. A. Bank: Fool by Numbers
- A Dapper Men's Wearhouse
- Jos. A. Bank's Not My Style
Fool contributor Mike Cianciolo welcomes feedback and doesn't own any of the companies in this article.