Now is not the time to bet on jeans that cost hundreds of dollars. At least, not until
True Religion Outlet management finishes its plan on boosting the bottom line, analysts say after a meeting with company executives.There are plans to make international sales 17% to 30% of total revenue over the next few years. This will require experimenting with supply chains abroad, testing each chain’s efficiency, says Brean Murray, Carret retail analysts Eric Beder and Danielle McCoy. The company has already succeeded in creating a strong market campaign abroad.And what about those $350 jeans? Well, they look pretty good, they say. The line set to come out this fall includes a number of prudent designs, including a “ghost” wash on the denim back pockets’ etching. (This allows the signature horseshoe design to become increasingly apparent each time the pants are laundered.)
“While not apparent in the near term, we believe the fashion shifts for mean are impressive, and that women’s looks are slowly beginning to improve and should make greater strides as the new design group gains fruther traction,” Beder and McCoy say. “That said, we believe in the near term the company will struggle.”True Religion missed Wall Street expectations last quarter. Since releasing its fourth-quarter results, shares have tumbled 30.1%, now trading near $25.64. True Religion currently trades at 14 times earnings.
You can expect some immediate revenue gains, but it’ll take considerable time for an improvement on net income, Beder and McCoy say. Notably, luxury retailers have largely reported strengthening consumer demand. True Religion competes with retailers like Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne and VF Corp.For now, there’s also some speculation that True Religion will institute a dividend or start a share buyback program, says Citi retail analysts Kate McShane and Susan Anderson.Both Citi and Brean Murray, Carret rate True Religion as hold.
