Core Insights - Fashion has become a significant growth area for Dillard's Inc. (DDS), enabling the company to achieve category-level gains despite a challenging retail environment [1][2] - Dillard's reported a 3% increase in total retail sales and comparable-store sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2025, indicating steady customer engagement [2][10] - The company's merchandising strategy, which focuses on curated assortments and higher-margin private labels, has been a key driver of recent fashion momentum [3][4] Sales Performance - Dillard's experienced strong gains in women's apparel, dresses, occasion wear, juniors', children's apparel, accessories, and lingerie [10] - The company expanded its gross margin, with additional gains in shoes, men's apparel, home goods, furniture, and cosmetics [10] Market Position - Dillard's has outperformed many traditional department store peers, suggesting that its disciplined assortment planning and brand relevance resonate well with consumers [2][5] - The company's shares have increased by 54.6% over the past year, compared to the industry's growth of 52.6% [6] Valuation Metrics - Dillard's trades at a forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 22.6X, which is higher than the industry's 15.30X multiple [9] Future Outlook - The sustainability of the current demand for discretionary items is uncertain due to inflation and economic factors, but Dillard's focused merchandising and inventory management position it well for near-term challenges [5] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate indicates a year-over-year decline in earnings for fiscal 2025 and 2026, but estimates have been revised upward in the past 30 days [13]

Core Insights - The company aims to improve its performance in the upcoming Valentine's Day after facing challenges last year [1] Company Strategy - The lingerie purveyor is focusing on better preparation for the holiday of romance in February [1]

Core Viewpoint - Momentum investing focuses on "buying high and selling higher," contrasting with traditional strategies of "buying low and selling high" [1] Group 1: Momentum Investing Characteristics - Momentum investing can be risky as stocks may lose momentum when their valuations exceed future growth potential, leading to potential losses for investors [2] - A safer approach involves investing in bargain stocks that exhibit recent price momentum, utilizing tools like the Zacks Momentum Style Score to identify such opportunities [3] Group 2: Victoria's Secret (VSCO) Analysis - Victoria's Secret (VSCO) has shown significant recent price momentum, with a four-week price change of 35%, indicating growing investor interest [4] - Over the past 12 weeks, VSCO's stock has gained 86%, with a beta of 2.24, suggesting it moves 124% higher than the market in either direction [5] - VSCO has a Momentum Score of B, indicating a favorable time to invest based on momentum [6] Group 3: Earnings Estimates and Valuation - An upward trend in earnings estimate revisions has contributed to VSCO earning a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), as analysts raising estimates attract more investor interest [7] - VSCO is trading at a Price-to-Sales ratio of 0.68, suggesting it is undervalued, as investors pay only 68 cents for each dollar of sales [7] Group 4: Additional Investment Opportunities - Besides VSCO, there are other stocks that meet the criteria of the 'Fast-Paced Momentum at a Bargain' screen, presenting further investment opportunities [8] - The Zacks Premium Screens offer over 45 different strategies to help identify winning stock picks based on various investing styles [9]

Core Viewpoint - Victoria's Secret (VSCO) shows a promising earnings outlook, with analysts raising their earnings estimates, indicating potential for continued stock momentum [1][2]. Estimate Revisions - The trend in estimate revisions reflects growing analyst optimism regarding Victoria's Secret's earnings prospects, which is expected to positively influence its stock price [2]. - For the current quarter, the earnings estimate is $2.42 per share, a decrease of 6.9% year-over-year, but the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased by 9.61% over the last 30 days due to two upward revisions [6]. - For the full year, the expected earnings are $2.53 per share, representing a year-over-year decline of 6.0%, yet the consensus estimate has risen by 28.66% as four estimates have been revised upward without any negative revisions [7][8]. Zacks Rank - Victoria's Secret currently holds a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), indicating strong potential for outperformance based on favorable estimate revisions [9]. - Historically, stocks with a Zacks Rank 1 have generated an average annual return of +25% since 2008, suggesting a robust track record of performance [3]. Stock Performance - The stock has gained 47% over the past four weeks, driven by solid estimate revisions, making it an attractive addition to investment portfolios [10].

Core Viewpoint - Momentum investing focuses on "buying high and selling higher" rather than the traditional "buying low and selling high" approach, aiming for quicker profits [1] Group 1: Momentum Investing Characteristics - Fast-moving trending stocks can be difficult to enter at the right time, as they may lose momentum if future growth does not justify their high valuations [2] - Investing in bargain stocks that have recently shown price momentum can be a safer strategy [3] Group 2: Victoria's Secret (VSCO) Analysis - VSCO has shown a significant price increase of 44.8% over the past four weeks, indicating growing investor interest [4] - Over the past 12 weeks, VSCO's stock gained 82.9%, demonstrating its ability to deliver positive returns over a longer timeframe [5] - VSCO has a Momentum Score of A, suggesting it is an opportune time to invest in the stock [6] Group 3: Earnings Estimates and Valuation - An upward trend in earnings estimate revisions has contributed to VSCO earning a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), which is associated with strong momentum effects [7] - VSCO is trading at a Price-to-Sales ratio of 0.64, indicating it is relatively cheap, as investors pay only 64 cents for each dollar of sales [7] Group 4: Additional Investment Opportunities - Besides VSCO, there are other stocks that meet the criteria of the 'Fast-Paced Momentum at a Bargain' screen, suggesting further investment opportunities [8] - The Zacks Premium Screens offer over 45 different strategies to help identify potential winning stocks based on various investing styles [9]

Core Insights - Victoria's Secret is implementing a strategic initiative called the Path to Potential, aimed at improving sales and expanding profit margins by reducing discounting [1][5] - The company is experiencing an improvement in comparable sales and generating more free cash flow, indicating positive financial health [3][5] Financial Performance - As of December 8, 2025, Telsey Advisory set a price target of $50 for Victoria's Secret stock, which was priced at $49.71 at that time, showing a slight difference of about 0.58% from the target [2] - Currently, the stock is priced at $49.57, reflecting a 1.06% increase or $0.52 from the previous price [2] - The stock has fluctuated between $46.65 and $50.21 on the same day [2] - The market capitalization of Victoria's Secret is approximately $3.97 billion, with 2,199,326 shares traded today [4] - Over the past year, the stock has reached a high of $50.22 and a low of $13.76, indicating a significant range in its stock price [4]

Core Insights - Ulta Beauty (ULTA) shares reached a record high after reporting earnings that exceeded analysts' expectations and raising its outlook [1] - The stock increased over 14%, leading gains in the S&P 500 [1] Financial Performance - Ulta Beauty reported third-quarter earnings per share of $5.14 and revenue of $2.86 billion, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 12.9% [1][6] - Comparable store sales rose by 6.3%, driven by a 3.8% increase in average ticket and a 2.4% rise in transactions [2] Growth Drivers - Revenue growth was primarily attributed to higher comparable sales, the acquisition of British luxury cosmetics seller Space NK, and the opening of new stores [2] - The company has revised its full-year EPS forecast to $25.20 to $25.50 and sales to approximately $12.3 billion, up from previous estimates of $23.85 to $24.30 EPS and $12 billion to $12.1 billion in sales [5] Market Context - The beauty sector has shown resilience compared to other retail categories, with consumers continuing to spend on cosmetics and fragrances [3] - Ulta's strong performance may be linked to the "lipstick effect," where consumers maintain spending on small indulgences during economic uncertainty [4]

Core Insights - Victoria's Secret (VSCO) shares surged after the company reported better-than-expected third-quarter results and raised its guidance due to reduced promotions and increased prices [1][5] Financial Performance - The company reported a third-quarter loss of $0.46 per share, which was $0.13 lower than analysts' forecasts [1] - Revenue increased by 9.2% to $1.47 billion, surpassing expectations, with comparable store sales up by 5% and direct-to-consumer sales gaining 8% [1][6] - North American sales rose by 5.4% to $778 million, while direct-to-consumer sales increased by 4.3% to $428.5 million; international sales saw a significant jump of 33.5% to $264.8 million [3] Strategic Initiatives - The company's turnaround strategy focuses on fewer promotions and more full-price selling, which appears to be effective as indicated by comparable sales growth and improved margins [2] - Adjusted gross margin grew by 170 basis points, attributed to a reduced promotional approach and higher regular-priced selling [4] Future Outlook - Victoria's Secret raised its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to between $2.40 and $2.65, and revenue expectations to $6.45 billion to $6.48 billion, up from previous estimates of $1.80 to $2.20 for EPS and $6.33 billion to $6.41 billion for revenue [5]

Rubric - Rubric reported a surprise profit with adjusted EPS of 10 cents per share, significantly better than the expected loss of 17 cents per share [2] - Revenue for Rubric topped $350 million, exceeding expectations, driven by a 52% growth in subscription revenue, indicating strong customer retention [2][3] - The company achieved positive operating income for the first time, with gross margins climbing to over 82%, reflecting efficient scaling of the business [3][4] - Free cash flow surged to $76.9 million, up nearly 400% year-over-year, and Rubric holds over $1.5 billion in cash, providing ample room for growth without needing to raise additional funds [4][5] Victoria's Secret - Victoria's Secret reported a loss of 27 cents per share, better than the expected loss of 59 cents, with revenue coming in at $1.47 billion, also exceeding expectations [6][7] - The company experienced less reliance on discounting, leading to improved margins and a shrinking quarterly loss, with strong performance across both its namesake brand and Pink [7][8] - Traffic improvements outpaced overall mall traffic, indicating a resurgence in popularity among younger consumers, particularly those aged 18 to 24 [9] Ulta Beauty - Ulta Beauty's shares surged following better-than-expected results, with adjusted EPS of $5.14 compared to the expected $4.56, and revenue of $2.86 billion, surpassing the anticipated $2.72 billion [11] - Comparable sales increased by more than 6%, with strong performance in both mass market and premium brands, indicating robust consumer spending on beauty products [12][13] - The company reported positive trends in average transaction value and increased customer transactions, suggesting strong momentum heading into the holiday shopping season [13]

Financial Performance - Q3 2025 - Net sales increased by 9%, driven by growth across Victoria's Secret, PINK, and Beauty[4] - International net sales surged by 34%[4] - Adjusted gross margin improved by 170 basis points to 365%[4,7] - Adjusted operating income reached $0 million, exceeding the guidance of an adjusted operating loss of ($35 million) - ($55 million)[4] - Adjusted EPS was reported at ($027), surpassing the guidance of ($055) - ($075)[6] Financial Performance - Year-to-Date 2025 - Net sales increased by 4% to $42836 million[9] - Operating income increased by 18% to $868 million[9] - Net income attributable to Victoria's Secret & Co increased by 1036% to $125 million[9] - Net income per diluted share attributable to Victoria's Secret & Co increased by 1400% to $015[9] Outlook - The company anticipates full-year net sales to be approximately $645 billion to $648 billion[14] - The company anticipates full-year adjusted operating income to be approximately $350 million to $375 million[14]