Investors May Have To Wait Further For L Brands Recovery

Disappointing 2018 guidance means a rough start to the year for L Brands Inc (NYSE: LB), according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

The Analyst

BofA's Lorraine Hutchinson maintained an Underperform rating on L Brands with a $38 price target.

The Thesis

L Brands’ fiscal 2018 EPS guidance of $2.95-$3.25 per share falls below the consensus of $3.46, indicating that margin recovery will not be achieved in 2018, Hutchinson said in a Wednesday note. (See the analyst’s track record here.)

The retailer reported fourth-quarter results and 2018 guidance after the close Wednesday.

“February was not the rebound investors had hoped for," the analyst said.

A decline in loungewear sales strength put further pressure on margins for the Victoria’s Secret brand, the analyst said.

“We think the current valuation does not appropriately reflect the earnings risk related to challenges at Victoria's Secret," Hutchinson said.

Price Action

L Brands was down 13.87 percent at $42.49 at the close Thursday.

Related Links:

L Brands: 4 Reasons for Concern

Victoria's Secret Issues Are 'Self-Inflicted,' But L Brands Can Bounce Back

Latest Ratings for LB

Mar 2018

Morgan Stanley

Maintains

Overweight

Overweight

Mar 2018

BMO Capital

Maintains

Market Perform

Market Perform

Mar 2018

Deutsche Bank

Maintains

Buy

Buy

View More Analyst Ratings for LB
View the Latest Analyst Ratings

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