10 Stocks Defy Market Optimism as Investor Caution Lingers

2. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF)

Abercrombie declined for a third straight day on Wednesday, dropping 9.24 percent to finish at $87.23 apiece following the release of its latest earnings performance where it guided a weaker-than-expected outlook for the business.

According to ANF, it now expects net sales to grow by 3 to 5 percent this year as compared with the 6.77 percent Wall Street analysts expected. It would also represent a slow growth from the 14 percent in net sales clocked in 2024.

“We expect the first half will be adversely impacted by higher year-over-year freight costs and more normalized carryover inventory selling, and the second half will benefit from expected lower freight than last year,” said ANF CFO Robert Ball in an investors call, adding that the company’s outlook includes current tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico but not “other potential incremental tariffs.”