Jos. A Bank Clothiers Releases Q1 Guidance, Expects Unfit Q1 Earnings

opens the week down after releasing woeful first-quarter earnings expectations and guidance. The Hampstead, Maryland-based firm expects EPS to finish in the $0.27 to $0.30 range, around just half the $0.53 it posted in Q1 2012. This would place the apparel chain's earnings far short of the $0.46 per share analysts would like to see. Commenting on the dim forecast, President and CEO R. Neal Black stated, “While we were able to control our expenses and improve our advertising efficiency in the quarter, our gross margin was down primarily due to higher inventory sourcing costs and lower average selling prices due mostly to increased percentage of sales of winter clearance products. In addition, our sales declined approximately 3%, primarily in April. Like many other retailers, we were also affected by the unseasonably cool weather. On the positive side, our Direct Marketing business, primarily on the Internet, continued to perform well, with double-digit sales growth…”

labeled Jos. A Bank as one of five “merger-bait retail stocks.” The author suggested that the stock received high marks using his Warren Buffett-based model for having an extremely long history of increasing annual operating income, having no debt and averaging a return on equity of over 18 percent over the past decade. The segment on the company concludes that its 2012 EPS dip is a buying opportunity instead of a long-term problem.

mentioned that, after tightening during the recession, prom spending is on the rise. If the 2013 prom season truly turns out to be a hit, look for Jos. A Bank to see a boost in second-quarter sales from tuxedo rentals, which can generate several hundred dollars per student in some cases.

On April 30,

an appeals court ruled that

can continue to sell housewares designed by

pending the outcome of a legal battle with Jos. A Bank rival

. The companies have been in an ongoing battle over the issue, as Macy's signed an exclusivity deal with the domestic diva in 2007. Naturally, the decision will only help the struggling JC Penney at the expense of Macy's, which could be seen as an indirect benefit to Jos. A Bank.

After closing at a five-month high of $46.21 on Friday, Jos. A Bank has fallen beneath $43.50 as of this writing. The stock is down around six percent on word of the weak earnings forecast.