Apparel Retail

According to Piper Jaffray, Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) Overweight rating is reiterated. Piper Jaffray said that it is reiterating its Overweight rating on shares of ANF following a better-than-expected SSS report in which the company delivered a +9% comp sales gain, ahead of the 5.5% and...

Piper Jaffray has lowered the price target on Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO) from $17 to $12 and maintains its Neutral rating.

Piper Jaffray has raised the price target on Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) from $85 to $86 and maintains its Overweight rating.

Shares of Zumiez (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) are lower on the session by 17.86%, trading at $22.26. Overall call volume is now running at 9.18x the daily average, with 1% of all calls traded being purchases on the offer. 1,056 contracts have traded on the session so far. Zumiez Inc. is a mall-based specialty...

Brian Sozzi from Wall Street Strategies is out with a research report on July retail sales, and is called it "the oddest month of same-store sales releases that I have ever seen." In the note, Sozzi goes on to say, "Simply, retailers across most sectors managed to triumph over the consensus same-...

Dendreon (NASDAQ: DNDN) -63.81% on multiple analyst downgrades this morning Entropic Communications (NASDAQ: ENTR) -24.4% on lower earnings and several analyst downgrades this morning. Zumiez (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) -13.28% on lower than expected same store sales increase. Walter Energy (NYSE: WLT) -...

Miller Tabak & Company has published a research report on Talbots (NYSE: TLB) and has upgraded the company from Sell to Neutral. In the report, Miller Tabak writes, "The stock is now the subject of a tremendous amount of takeover speculation most recently reflecting a 9.9% equity stake taken...

The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX) expects for the second quarter of Fiscal 2012, the Company now expects diluted earnings per share to be $.88 - $.89, above its previously projected range, compared with $.74 per share last year on a GAAP basis. Prior year second quarter earnings per share...

The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX) today reported July 2011 sales results. Sales for the four-week period ended July 30, 2011, were $1.6 billion, up 8% over the $1.5 billion achieved during the four-week period ended July 31, 2010. For the 26-week period ended July 30, 2011, sales reached $10.7...

Ross Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROST) today reported that sales increased 11% to $635 million for the four weeks ended July 30, 2011, up from $573 million in sales for the four weeks ended July 31, 2010. Comparable store sales for the month grew 7%. For the thirteen weeks ended July 30, 2011, sales...

This is your Benzinga news summary and traders' outlook for Thursday, August 4, 2011, covering headlines from overnight and Thursday's pre-market session. Today in domestic pre-market trading, U.S. equity futures are set for a weak morning as traders wait for the jobless claims data. At last check...

Limited Brands, Inc. (NYSE: LTD) reported a comparable store sales increase of 6 percent for the four weeks ended July 30, 2011, compared to the four weeks ended July 31, 2010. The company reported net sales of $660.4 million for the four weeks ended July 30, 2011, compared to net sales of $619.7...

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE: BKE) announced today that comparable store net sales, for stores open at least one year, for the four-week period ended July 30, 2011 increased 6.8 percent from comparable store net sales for the four-week period ended July 31, 2010. Net sales for the four-week fiscal month...

Miller Tabak has upgraded Talbots (NYSE: TLB) from Sell to Neutral.

Stage Stores Inc (NYSE: SSI) reported a 0.8% rise in its sales for four weeks to July 30 at stores open at least one year. Analysts were expecting same-store sales to surge 0.2%. Its total sales for the period increased 2.2% y/y to $102 million from $100 million. SSI shares gained 4.62% to close...