Earnings Never Go Out of Style: Wall Street can't seem to figure out Jos. A. Bank. But business is good and the stock is cheap

摘要

JOS. A. BANK CLOTHIERS seems to have a lot going against it. There's growing concern that strained consumers will buy fewer suits in an economy that is almost certainly in recession. The Hampstead, Md., men's clothing retailer has more than twice as many days of inventory as its main rival, Men's Wearhouse. Add to that Bank's investor-unfriendly communications policies. Unlike most retailers, the chain doesn't report monthly same-store sales, which track sales at stores that have been open for a year or more. It doesn't make earnings projections, and it also skips the customary question-and-answer sessions with analysts on its quarterly conference calls.