Pizzas from a hut? Radios from a shack? Be careful before you knock dresses from a barn.
This value-priced retailer may not win any fashion awards but the stock is hot. Shares more than doubled in 2009. Analysts are expecting a 51% surge in sales in fiscal year 2010, due primarily to a merger with Tween Brands in November 2009, and a 20% boost in 2011 sales.
The retailer owns and operates three apparel divisions: 837 of its namesake Dress Barn stores in 47 states, the Maurices chain targeting small town girls in their late teens and 20s, and Tween Brands
"All these concepts offer fashionable value-priced merchandise. Obviously, given what's been going on in the economy, that's been a good spot to be in, being the value-orientated retailer that they are," said Samantha Panella, an analyst with Raymond James.
The other piece of the story, Panella said, is that Dress Barn's management team is constantly focused on making smart moves for shareholders. In January, the company eliminated $112.5 million in debt and issued 6.2 million shares. This exchange reduced interest expenses for the 2010 fiscal year by about $4.2 million and the company expects this will add about 3 cents to earnings per share.
--Annalyn Censky
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