Have you been paying attention to shares of Gildan Activewear (GIL)? Shares have been on the move with the stock up 10.5% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $53.29 in the previous session. Gildan Activewear has gained 10.4% since the start of the year compared to the 3.1% move for the Zacks Consumer Discretionary sector and the 4.2% return for the Zacks Textile - Apparel industry.
What's Driving the Outperformance?
The stock has a great record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn't missed our earnings consensus estimate in any of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on October 31, 2024, Gildan reported EPS of $0.85 versus consensus estimate of $0.84.
For the current fiscal year, Gildan is expected to post earnings of $3.38 per share on $3.24 billion in revenues. Meanwhile, for the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $3.90 per share on $3.4 billion in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of 13.8% and 4.69%, respectively.
Valuation Metrics
Gildan may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company has run ahead of itself.
On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as these give investors a variety of ways to comb through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). These styles are represented by grades running from A to F in the categories of Value, Growth, and Momentum, while there is a combined VGM Score as well. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.
Gildan has a Value Score of B. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are B and D, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of B.
In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 15.4X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is not in-line with the peer industry average of 16.1X. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 15.4X versus its peer group's average of 8.5X. Additionally, the stock has a PEG ratio of 1.71. This isn't enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective.
Zacks Rank
We also need to consider the stock's Zacks Rank, as this supersedes any trend on the style score front. Fortunately, Gildan currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) thanks to favorable earnings estimate revisions from covering analysts.
Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if Gildan fits the bill. Thus, it seems as though Gildan shares could still be poised for more gains ahead.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
