Benjamin Rowbotham, Goldman Sachs

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (JNY) - Benjamin Rowbotham at Goldman Sachs

Jones Apparel shares have risen 64% since the beginning of July and Liz Claiborne shares are up 86%. That run up caused Goldman Sachs analyst Benjamin Rowbotham to cut his rating on the stocks to "neutral" from "buy." "While we still expect fundamentals to improve in the second half of 2009 and 2010, we believe the pace/magnitude of upward earnings per share revisions could slow," he wrote in a note to investors.  

Liz Claiborne, Inc. (LIZ) - Benjamin Rowbotham at Goldman Sachs

Jones Apparel shares have risen 64% since the beginning of July and Liz Claiborne shares are up 86%. That run up caused Goldman Sachs analyst Benjamin Rowbotham to cut his rating on the stocks to "neutral" from "buy." "While we still expect fundamentals to improve in the second half of 2009 and 2010, we believe the pace/magnitude of upward earnings per share revisions could slow," he wrote in a note to investors.  

Liz Claiborne, Inc. (LIZ) - Benjamin Rowbotham at Goldman Sachs

Sales progress is better at lower end department stores and at it own outlets, although at the latter there is still "a pile of excess inventory from the old line," McComb said. Goldman Sachs analyst Benjamin Rowbotham said continued patience by investors could pay off as Liz continues its turnaround efforts. The retailer lost $82.1 million , or 87 cents a share in its recently reported second quarter, its seventh consecutive quarterly loss. "While righting the ship will remain a challenge, we do see some light at the end of the tunnel which makes Liz's share a potentially attractive play," said Rowbotham. Improving fourth quarter gross margins, aggressive cost reduction efforts, better trends at Liz Claiborne outlet stores and easier same store sales comparisons "all point to a potentially better 2010 outlook," he said. 

Liz Claiborne, Inc. (LIZ) - Benjamin Rowbotham at Goldman Sachs

(AP) , Liz Claiborne Inc shares soared Monday after a Goldman Sachs retail analyst upgraded them to a "buy" rating and raised his target price, saying a significant recovery is at hand, fueled by leaner inventories, debt reduction and the overhaul of its namesake brand. Goldman Sachs retail analyst Benjamin H. Rowbotham wrote Monday that, "after a tough 2008, we believe fundamental change is afoot." He predicted the company's first quarter results, to be released later this month, will serve as a "a positive inflection point" - the trough in deterioration of the company's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. "We see this as the last 'incrementally bad' fundamental quarter," Mr. Rowbotham said. 

Liz Claiborne, Inc. (LIZ) - Benjamin Rowbotham at Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs analyst Benjamin Rowbotham on Friday added the stock to his Conviction Buy list and called the apparel maker "an underappreciated turnaround story with micro and macro oriented catalysts to drive significant upside." "Specifically, we believe a combination of improving fundamentals and expanding valuation will move shares higher toward our $7.20 price target in the next 12 months," he wrote (The shares currently trade at $6 a piece, even after Monday's 25%+ gain.) Liz Claiborne's struggles have been waged in a tough retailing climate, where discretionary spending has been cut back dramatically. In early March, it recorded break even results for its operating earnings and took a large loss on store closures and discontinued operations. "We do not believe our market capitalization today reflects the true long term value of our company in spite of obvious risk and volatility in the short term resulting from current economic conditions," CEO William McComb said March 4. Morningstar analyst Michelle Chang recently described its challenges, but also said management has performed as well as could be expected in a severe recession. "The company is committed to stabilizing its traditional wholesale business, while driving growth at its younger, retail focused brands," she wrote last month. 

Sprint Nextel Corp (S) - Benjamin Rowbotham at Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs analyst Benjamin Rowbotham on Friday added the stock to his Conviction Buy list and called the apparel maker "an underappreciated turnaround story with micro and macro oriented catalysts to drive significant upside." "Specifically, we believe a combination of improving fundamentals and expanding valuation will move shares higher toward our $7.20 price target in the next 12 months," he wrote (The shares currently trade at $6 a piece, even after Monday's 25%+ gain.) Liz Claiborne's struggles have been waged in a tough retailing climate, where discretionary spending has been cut back dramatically. In early March, it recorded break even results for its operating earnings and took a large loss on store closures and discontinued operations. "We do not believe our market capitalization today reflects the true long term value of our company in spite of obvious risk and volatility in the short term resulting from current economic conditions," CEO William McComb said March 4. Morningstar analyst Michelle Chang recently described its challenges, but also said management has performed as well as could be expected in a severe recession. "The company is committed to stabilizing its traditional wholesale business, while driving growth at its younger, retail focused brands," she wrote last month. 

Carter's Inc (CRI) - Benjamin Rowbotham at Goldman Sachs

Shares of Carter's Inc rose on Thursday after an analyst upgraded the stock from "sell" to "neutral" saying improvement at OshKosh will help carry the company through the first half of the year. Shares rose 58 cents, or 3.6 percent, to $16.52 in afternoon trading Thursday. On Tuesday the Atlanta-based retailer, which operates its namesake stores and OshKosh, posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter sales. Goldman Sachs (nyse: GS - news - people ) analyst Benjamin H. Rowbotham wrote in a note to clients that the fourth-quarter results marked two straight quarters of improvement at OshKosh in both retail and wholesale, "increasing our confidence in the trajectory of management's turnaround efforts."  

Liz Claiborne, Inc. (LIZ) - Benjamin Rowbotham at Goldman Sachs

An analyst said Monday he remains on the sidelines on apparel makers, as he expects continued weakness in the sector over the next two to four quarters.Goldman Sachs analyst Benjamin H. Rowbotham wrote in a note to investors that weak department store results and disappointing forecasts by Jones Apparel Group Inc and Liz Claiborne Inc have led to "jitters" about apparel makers' stocks, which have dropped about 35 percent from mid September through October.  

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (JNY) - Benjamin Rowbotham at Goldman Sachs

An analyst said Monday he remains on the sidelines on apparel makers, as he expects continued weakness in the sector over the next two to four quarters.Goldman Sachs analyst Benjamin H. Rowbotham wrote in a note to investors that weak department store results and disappointing forecasts by Jones Apparel Group Inc and Liz Claiborne Inc have led to "jitters" about apparel makers' stocks, which have dropped about 35 percent from mid September through October.