Is Carter's Wholesale Segment Weakness Dragging Overall Growth?

Core Insights - Carter's, Inc. (CRI) is experiencing overall growth constraints due to weaknesses in U.S. Wholesale, particularly from the Simple Joys brand, which has offset gains in U.S. Retail and International markets [1][3] - The company's net sales slightly declined by 0.1% to $757.8 million in Q3 2025 compared to the same quarter last year, with U.S. Wholesale declines neutralizing the growth from U.S. Retail and International [1][8] - Adjusted operating income fell by $40 million year-over-year, driven by weaker results in both U.S. Retail and U.S. Wholesale, indicating balanced pressure across these segments [2] U.S. Wholesale Performance - U.S. Wholesale sales decreased due to softer performance from the Simple Joys brand, which has seen moderated demand on Amazon throughout the year [3] - The brand's rapid growth post-launch in 2017 has been impacted by recent shifts in Amazon's brand management strategy, intensifying pressure on this business [3] Future Outlook - The company is developing a framework to better align with Amazon's operating model across its brand portfolio, aiming for a more sustainable long-term business beyond Simple Joys [4] - Management anticipates low-single-digit declines in U.S. Wholesale sales for Q4, while expecting gains in the rest of the U.S. Wholesale portfolio to partially mitigate the overall decline [4] Stock Performance - Carter's shares have increased by 20.8% over the past six months, contrasting with an 8.7% decline in the industry [5] - The current forward price-to-earnings ratio for CRI is 17.04X, which is lower than the industry average of 28.16X [7] Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate indicates a year-over-year earnings decline of 44.4% for the current year and 28.5% for the next year [10]