In this article, we will look at the Top 11 Luxury Clothing Stocks to Invest in Now. In this article, we will look at where Nike Inc. (NKE) stands against other top luxury clothing stocks to invest in now.
Overall View of Trends in the Luxury Sector
The luxury segment in retail has been a prominent driver of growth in the industry. It is primarily considered a status symbol, driving discretionary spending among customers with high purchasing power.
According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, the luxury retail sector has a market size of $110.13 billion as of 2024, and is expected to grow to $151.32 billion by 2029, at a compound annual growth rate of 6.56%. While the Asia-Pacific region is the fastest-growing market in the luxury retail domain, the largest market remains concentrated in Europe.
According to McKinsey’s The State of Fashion 2024 report, the global apparel industry is expected to experience top-line growth of 2%- 4% in 2024, with variations possible in countries and regions. Quite like in previous years, the luxury segment is anticipated to generate the most significant economic profit.
However, companies in the sector may experience a tough economic environment. Growth is anticipated to slow down to 3%- 5% in 2024 compared to 5%- 7% in 2023 as the post-pandemic shopping rush slows down. However, these growth trends are likely to be contrasting in Europe and the US. While growth is set to slow in China and Europe, it is expected to pick up speed in the US after a relatively weak 2023.
Distribution of luxury apparel and improved supply chains are some of the industry’s significant growth drivers. For example, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Competition approved the joint venture between G Distribution B.V. and Al Rubaiyat Co. for Industry & Trade Holding in December 2021 to sell and distribute Gucci products in the country. Digital media and digital marketing are also increasing the popularity of luxury clothing among millennials, which is, in turn, driving market growth.
A Slow First Half of 2024 for Luxury Retailers
Several luxury retailers experienced substantial profit drops in the first half of 2024. The overall market is experiencing widespread struggles, primarily because luxury brands have traditionally relied heavily on Chinese consumers. With the slowing Chinese economy and a cautious consumer base, this heavy reliance is proving unprofitable, as people are reducing their spending on luxury goods. The economic slowdown in China is attributed to factors such as lower land sales, an aging population, and decreased exports.
Despite the challenges, some brands made significant strides, such as the Italian high-fashion women’s clothing and accessory brand Miu Miu, which saw nearly 60% growth last year and 90% growth in the first quarter of this year. This helped its parent company, Prada Group, increase its sales as well.
The luxury market has historically bounced back from downturns, and many in the industry hope the current challenges are temporary. Luxury brands are comparatively less affected by economic conditions as most of their purchases are made by a very small group of elite consumers.
Our Methodology
For this article, we made a list of nearly 20 luxury stocks with positive analyst upside potential and used that as our primary metric to rank the list. We chose the top 11 stocks with the highest average analyst price target as of September 12, 2024. We manually calculated analyst upsides for stocks not listed on American exchanges. We have also considered the hedge fund sentiment around each stock as a secondary metric, and sourced data from Insider Monkey’s database of over 900 elite hedge funds as of Q2 2024.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
Top 11 Luxury Clothing Stocks to Invest in Now
Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE)
Analyst Upside Potential as of September 12, 2024: 17.21%
No. of Hedge Funds as of Q2 2024: 66
Nike (NYSE:NKE) is a luxury retailer that designs, markets, and distributes athletic clothing, footwear, accessories, equipment, and services for fitness activities. It sells its athletic and fitness collection under several brands, including NIKE, Jordan Brand, and Converse. In addition, it specializes in casual apparel, footwear, and accessories, distributing and licensing them under the All-Star, Chuck Taylor, Star Chevron, One Star, and Jack Purcell trademarks.
Nike’s (NYSE:NKE) revenue grew by around 1% in fiscal 2024, with EPS increasing 15%. The company has undertaken several strategic shifts in the past year, including organization and leadership changes, capacity building for investment in consumer-facing activities, and starting a multi-year innovation cycle. But most of all, Nike’s (NYSE:NKE) sharp focus is on sports. It is scaling innovation and newness, fielding brand distinction to build momentum in its product portfolio.
Nike (NYSE:NKE) has had an Express Lane for years, allowing it to avail of short lead time replenishment and hyper-local design. The company has plans to continue leveraging its Express Lane to build new ways of working across the entire product development process. It is now calling it the Speed Lane, and is integrating it as a company-wide effort to use its resources to accelerate design, use advanced digital tools to expedite development, and leverage key manufacturing partners to quicken product production and testing. Speed Lane is expected to bring out innovations in the second half of the fiscal year, highlighting Nike’s (NYSE:NKE) efforts to gain momentum and solidify its position in the market in the long run. The company is also expected to roll out several new fitness and lifestyle franchises by leveraging its Speed Lane, widening its consumer base.
Nike (NYSE:NKE) also has plans to reinvest around $1 billion in consumer-facing activities in fiscal 2025. The investment is anticipated to expedite the company’s strong growth by increasing resources in merchandising, design, and product creation for its key sports dimensions. It will also speed up the company’s running in key cities, elevate its brand distinction in physical retail, and drive bolder, larger brand campaigns, starting from the Paris Olympics and EC ’24.
Mar Vista Focus strategy stated the following regarding NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) in its first quarter 2024 investor letter:
“NIKE, Inc.’s (NYSE:NKE) recent earnings report was a mixed bag. While revenue met expectations and earnings exceeded them, the stock price dipped due to management’s cautious outlook for fiscal 2025. The company is currently undergoing a period of internal restructuring and product line adjustments, which is expected to lead to flat revenue growth in the first half of the coming fiscal year. However, this transition aims to position Nike for long-term success.
Our conviction in Nike remains high, and we expect it to emerge stronger and more competitive once the restructuring is complete despite the softer revenue forecast. Nike still anticipates earnings will grow around 10% in calendar 2024 and will accelerate to 15% in 2025 as execution normalizes.”
Overall, NKE ranks ninth among the top 11 luxury clothing stocks to invest in now. While we acknowledge the potential of luxury clothing companies, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NKE but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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