JoS A Bank Soars on Strong Earnings

For the second time this week, one of our Buy List stocks is soaring. And for the second time, it was one of the stocks I had been down on.

This morning, JoS. A. Bank Clothiers ($JOSB) reported quarterly earnings of 83 cents per share for its fiscal second quarter. That was 10 cents per share more than Wall Street had been expecting. The metric is that same-store sales were up 6.1%. The company did especially well with its online sales.

JoS A Bank, which competes with Men’s Wearhouse Inc, has set up Amazon.com Inc and eBay Inc stores, aiming for a bigger slice of shoppers’ wallets by catering to different consumers than the ones who come to their own websites and physical stores.

Sales at its direct marketing segment, which comprises the Internet and catalog call centers, rose 39.3 percent for the second quarter. The segment recorded higher sales in August compared to last year, the company said.

Direct marketing, driven primarily by Internet sales, accounted for about 10 percent of total sales last year.

Several retailers are looking to grow into the online market place by setting up storefronts on Amazon and eBay.

JoS A Bank also signed up for PayPal’s in-store service in May that allows shoppers to pay through their mobile phones, making purchases at brick-and-mortar stores easier.

Comparable store sales increased 6.1 percent for three months ended July 28. Total sales rose 12.9 percent to $260.3 million.

In last week’s CWS Market Review, I expressed my frustration with JoS. A. Bank. I even said that adding it to this year’s Buy List was a mistake. This is why I don’t try to time the market. Though in my defense I did say that the stock wasn’t unreasonably priced at $41.

At one point today, the stock was up 18.76%, and that doesn’t include the stock’s 3.51% rally yesterday. JOSB has settled down some and it’s currently up just over 14%. Of course, much of today’s gain is merely walking back losses from earlier in the year. As of now, JOSB is down just over 2% for the year.

Posted by on August 29th, 2012 at 3:35 pm


The information in this blog post represents my own opinions and does not contain a recommendation for any particular security or investment. I or my affiliates may hold positions or other interests in securities mentioned in the Blog, please see my Disclaimer page for my full disclaimer.

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