Express dips as opposed to Hanesbrands and G-III

Despite high consumer confidence levels and tumbling

unemployment, Tuesday appeared to be a gloomy day for clothing retailers. Express was one of those feeling the pain, seeing its trading dragged into the red due to its guidance cut, and general investor disdain for retail stocks, as stressed by Zacks.

“In fact, the stock lost almost one-fourth of its value following the report of the slashed guidance, and shares haven't been able to make back any ground since the release,” analysis team at Zacks noted in a report to investors about the weak trading of Express Tuesday.

On the brightside, analysts at Zacks shown their preference for stocks such as Hanesbrands and G-III Apparel.

“We suggest investing in Hanesbrands Inc., a designer and manufacturer of basic apparel in the United States. Shares of this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) trades at a forward P/E (price-to-earnings) of 17.58x, a marginal discount of 2 percent to the peer group average of 17.93x, and have amassed a year-to-date return of 90.7 percent.” Additionally, the company “had registered an average positive earnings surprise of 10.2 percent over the trailing four quarters, and has a long-term earnings expectation of 15.6 percent that makes it look attractive.”

G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. also holds a Zacks Rank #1 rating or ‘strong buy’ recommendation. “The stock has amassed a year-to-date return of 95.1 percent and is expected to witness earnings growth of 15.9 percent in fiscal 2013 and 80 percent in fiscal 2014. The company's long-term estimated EPS growth rate is 16.5 percent, higher than the peer group average of 13.8 percent. Shares of this New York-based company trades at a forward P/E of 18.35x, a discount of 16.9 percent to the peer group average of 22.07x. The company had registered an average positive earnings surprise of 96.6 percent over the trailing four quarters.”