After a depreciation of 50 per cent in the share price of apparel retailer Charlotte Russe Holdings, Inc. (CHIC), Zacks senior retail industry analyst Robert Plaza, CFA reiterates his Hold rating on the shares. The following excerpts explain his position:
'While we have written for several months that Charlotte Russe was likely to miss estimates or lower guidance in its quarterly reports, we have been surprised at the extent of the slowdown in spending in its stores and the severity of the sell-off in its stock price, which is down over 50% year-to-date. That said, we think the stock is now trading at levels that are beginning to price in a worst-case scenario.
'Still, we prefer to remain on the sidelines as the company works through its current issues. When CHIC begins to demonstrate that its earnings have stabilized, we may become more positive on the stock. Charlotte Russe is scheduled to report fourth quarter results around November 8.
'Charlotte Russe shares are currently trading at 10.0x our fiscal year 2008 EPS estimate and 8.8x our fiscal year 2009 EPS estimate. Given the company's near-term issues, we believe the stock is reasonably valued. Our target price of $15.50 assumes CHIC shares will track the performance of the overall market for the next six months. We maintain our Hold rating on the stock.'
Read the full analyst report on CHIC.
Get real-time market insights and profitable stock recommendations from the team of analysts at Zacks Equity Research. See all todays Analyst Blog entries on Zacks.com.