Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What is your considered view on Coach Inc.? Is it a buy right now?

Article Excerpt

Coach Inc., $58, symbol COH on New York (Shares outstanding: 287.4 million; Market cap: $16.7 billion; www.coach.com) designs and sells a wide range of accessories for men and women, including handbags, belts, wallets, card cases, shoes, luggage and jewellery. The company designs these products, but they are made by third-party manufacturers, mainly in Asia. Coach gets 87% of its sales by selling goods through three main channels: the Internet, catalogues and its company-owned stores and factory outlets in North America (512 stores), Japan (177 stores), China (85 stores), Taiwan (26 stores) and Singapore (5 stores). The company gets the remaining 13% of its sales by selling goods in department stores and by licensing its brand to makers of other products, such as sunglasses, watches and perfumes. In its fiscal 2012 third quarter, which ended March 31, 2012, Coach’s earnings rose 21.0%, to $225.0 million from $186.0 million a year earlier. The company spent $172.0 million on share buybacks during the quarter. Because…