Brean Murray, Carret & Co. Preview 1Q In Retail And Consumer Products

Brean Murray, Carret & Co., in a report previewing 1Q numbers in the retail industry is reiterating its Buy rating on the apparel industry.

Says Brean Murray, Carret & Co., in the report, “We believe there are a number of specific and general factors which should allow for the apparel industry to remain strong in the 1H and beat Street expectations. Further, we expect management to remain positive on trends for 2Q and initial orders for 2H11; while we understand inflation worries have been (and will remain) a key overhang on the group, we believe, especially for players with strong brands and growing higher margin international sales, that investor fears will prove overblown.”

The report also highlights its favorite names in the industry, including G-III Apparel (NASDAQ: GIIII) and Perry Ellis (NASDAQ: PERY) among small/midcaps and Phillips-Van Heusen (NYSE: PVH) and The Warnaco Group (NYSE: WRC) in large cap.

G-III closed yesterday at $38.72, PERY at $27.25, PVH at $65.96 and WRC at $60.09, respectively.