Consumer Durables & Apparel

Bloomberg reports that Apple is preparing a new push into the smart home market by developing devices together with LG Electronics, including a video doorbell, a smart door lock system, indoor home security cameras, outdoor cameras, cameras with built-in lighting, a smart thermostat, and a temperature sensor. These devices will be part of Apple's new Smart Home ecosystem, working alongside a new Smart Home Hub, an upgraded HomePod mini, and a new Apple TV. Apple's products are scheduled to launch on October 13, while the devices developed with LG are expected to go on sale a few months later. Although the two companies are developing them jointly, the products will be sold under the LG brand, with LG handling manufacturing and product support, while Apple sets the design direction and features and oversees engineering. Documents LG filed with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and UL Solutions reveal the names of several products, including the LG Video Doorbell Wired, LG Floodlight Cam, LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In, LG Indoor Cam Plug-In, LG Smart Deadbolt Lock, LG Smart Thermostat, and LG Temperature Sensor. Many of the devices support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity as well as Thread and Matter, and the door lock system also supports Ultra-Wideband, or UWB, which lets the device detect an approaching user and unlock the door automatically. The launch of the new Smart Home system marks Apple's effort to reboot HomeKit, which debuted in 2014 but has not been able to grow its user base as much as the platforms from Amazon and Google. Apple hopes to combine the new Smart Home devices with its AI-powered Siri assistant. For LG, this partnership represents a major expansion of its smart home business, as the company re-enters the indoor camera market for the first time in nearly a decade and prepares to sell a smart lock outside South Korea for the first time. The expansion by Apple and LG will put both companies into more direct competition with Amazon's Ring and Google's Nest.

Berkshire Hathaway has lifted its stake in Lennar Corporation above 11% of the company, a position worth roughly $2.2 billion, as the homebuilder trades below its own book value. Lennar traded at around $77 on October 6, up 3.77% on the day and 39.05% lower over twelve months, against a book value of $90.68 a share, or 0.85 times book. The company's balance sheet is mostly land and finished houses carried at what Lennar paid, and a current ratio of 10.13 and debt-to-equity of 28.20% give it room to hold that inventory rather than sell it cheaply. The income statement is why the stock sits where it does: revenue fell 8.70% in the most recent quarter and earnings fell 52.00%, leaving a net margin of 4.09%, while 10.24% of the float is sold short. Lennar is worth $18.38 billion, trades at 15.06 times trailing earnings and 14.72 times forward earnings, and carries $6.12 billion of debt, with enterprise value to EBITDA of 11.48.

Ittirit Nice Corporation Public Company Limited, or ITTHI, has unveiled its three-year JUMP+ Plan to boost corporate value over 2026–2028, targeting net profit of 200 million baht by 2028, more than a sevenfold increase from net profit of 28.18 million baht in 2025. The company aims for revenue growth of 40% in 2026, rising to 45% in 2027 and 50% in 2028, while EBIT margin is targeted to rise from 5.36% in 2025 to 20%, 22%, and 24% respectively. Its core strategy focuses on capturing government project work and building partnerships with real estate developer groups, while expanding into specialised project work for hospitals, educational institutions, hotels, and the industrial sector. For 2026, the company aims to generate revenue from innovative lighting products, solar power systems, smart home technology, smart streetlights, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, before developing a central platform under the name Smart Lighting Mall in 2028 to bring together a complete product portfolio. It also targets raising the share of electric vehicles in its corporate transport fleet to 50% in 2026 and 100% in 2027.

Carter's reported second-quarter revenues of $615.5 million, up 5.2% year on year and 1.6% above analysts' expectations, though next-quarter revenue guidance missed consensus. The children's apparel maker's results were part of a mixed quarter for the 15 consumer discretionary apparel and accessories stocks tracked, which as a group beat revenue consensus by 1.2% while next-quarter revenue guidance came in 4.7% below expectations. Chief Executive Officer and President Sharon Price John said net sales rose 5% and adjusted operating profit rose 54%, exceeding the prior outlook, crediting improved marketing, early benefits of productivity initiatives, and progress in the Baby segment. Among peers, Figs posted the group's fastest growth at 28.8% year on year with revenue of $196.6 million, while Stitch Fix delivered the weakest guidance update and ThredUp's stock has fallen 65.8% since reporting. Carter's shares are down 15.4% since its results and trade at $31.98.

Vuzix Corporation announced a partnership with Houston-based software developer Shiny Box Interactive to advance military medical training and remote-mentoring solutions on the Vuzix Ultralite Pro OEM smart glasses platform. Shiny Box has previously supported U.S. military augmented reality training using Vuzix M4000 smart glasses, and its work has included CBRNE, medical, surgical and critical-care training that connects emergency medical personnel with remote subject-matter experts. The company is now extending that experience to the Ultralite Pro, Vuzix' lightweight, see-through waveguide-based OEM platform for defense and tactical applications. The Shiny Box platform is designed to provide hands-free remote mentoring and real-time situational guidance across multiple communications environments, including Starlink satellite and cellular broadband, local-area networks and mobile ad hoc networks, with applications in tactical medical training, casualty-care support, evacuation coordination and access to remote specialists. Todd Daniel, Managing Partner at Shiny Box Interactive, said bringing the platform to Ultralite Pro is an important next step toward a lighter, more wearable see-through smart glasses platform for demanding military and tactical environments, while Vuzix President and CEO Paul Travers said military medicine is a compelling example of how the platform can bring mission-relevant information and remote expertise closer to the point of need.

Zscaler shares gained 2.2% in premarket trading after the cybersecurity company reaffirmed its revenue and earnings guidance for fiscal 2027, maintaining its full-year revenue forecast of $3.91 billion to $3.94 billion and adjusted earnings per share guidance of $4.86 to $4.90. Nike shares fell more than 1% after Berenberg downgraded the sportswear maker to Sell from Hold and cut its price target to $27.50 from $49, arguing that the company has accepted a smaller place in sportswear. Constellation Energy stock climbed 3% after a major deal with Amazon, under which Amazon will purchase 690 megawatts of output from Constellation's Calvert Cliffs Clean Energy Center in Maryland under a 20-year contract supporting more than $3 billion in plant investment, and reports that Google is nearing a separate nuclear power supply agreement worth $1 billion or more. Vaxcyte stock fell 3.7% as investors weighed the dilutive implications of a $1 billion capital raise announced after Monday's close, consisting of $500 million in common stock and pre-funded warrants and $500 million in convertible senior notes due 2032. Freshworks stock climbed 3.9% after S&P Dow Jones Indices announced the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 index effective before the market open on October 8, replacing BioLife Solutions.

Garmin announced Enduro 4, its longest-lasting GPS smartwatch with solar charging, priced at a suggested retail price of $899.99 and available now. The watch delivers up to 320 hours of battery life in activity mode or up to 90 days in smartwatch mode, using an energy-efficient 1.4-inch MIP display paired with a solar lens. Enduro 4 adds grade-adjusted pace-based workout targets, grade-adjusted rolling pace, stamina zones, stamina curve and Garmin Epic multiday activity logging, alongside more than 100 activity profiles. It carries 50% more RAM than Enduro 3 and an updated map engine that Garmin says pans 30% faster, plus a new ComfortFit Fabric Band and 64 GB of memory. The 51mm watch weighs 66 grams and includes a Power Sapphire scratch-resistant lens, titanium bezel, integrated LED flashlight and 10 ATM water resistance.

Garmin has unveiled the Approach S72, its new flagship golf smartwatch, available now with suggested retail prices starting at $799.99. The watch comes in two sizes, 43mm and 47mm, with bright AMOLED displays, a lightweight titanium bezel, sapphire lens and a new ComfortFit fabric band. It adds on-wrist swing metrics such as hand speed, backswing length and wrist rotation, plus golf biometric data that tracks how heart rate changes before and after each shot. Green reading with contour data, putting analytics and aerial imagery require an active Garmin Golf Membership. Garmin says the larger model offers up to 20 hours of battery life on the course and up to 16 days with GPS turned off, and it is the company's first golf smartwatch with a speaker and microphone for voice commands and phone calls. Susan Lyman, Garmin Vice President of Consumer Sales and Marketing, said the device gives avid golfers the insights they need to take their game to the next level.

Ariel Investments, which owns a 5.4% stake in Mattel, is pushing the Barbie maker to explore a sale or other strategic alternatives, saying the company's progress on performance and profitability has stalled, according to Reuters. In a letter to Mattel's board, Ariel Co-CEO John Rogers said the toy maker's shares remain significantly undervalued and that a strategic buyer would pay a significant premium to the current share price. Ariel outlined options including the divestiture of significant assets, a merger or an outright sale, and said Mattel's portfolio could attract interest from other toy companies, entertainment companies and traditional private-equity firms. The push follows similar pressure from Southeastern Asset Management, which in May urged Mattel to consider strategic alternatives including a sale or going private, and last week's takeover interest from Authentic Brands Group at more than $20 a share, or $6B. Mattel's profitability has weakened after the 2023 Barbie boost, with Q2 adjusted operating income of $38.8M, down 60% from a year earlier, and adjusted gross margin falling to 48.6% from 51.2%.

LGI Homes reported a 9.0% increase in September home closings, with 386 homes closed compared to 354 a year earlier. For the third quarter of 2026, home closings totaled 1,222 units, a 10.4% year-over-year rise from 1,107 homes in the prior-year period. The September total included 8 single-family rental homes, while the third-quarter figure included 33 single-family rental homes. As of September 30, 2026, the company operated 151 active selling communities. LGI Homes plans to release its full third-quarter 2026 financial results before the market opens on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Ariel Investments, the asset management firm that is the largest shareholder of U.S. toy giant Mattel, said on the 5th that it has asked Mattel to explore strategic options including a sale of the company, citing stalled progress in improving performance and profitability. Reuters reviewed Ariel's letter. Ariel, which holds 5.4% of Mattel shares, said the stock remains significantly undervalued, and co-CEO John Rogers said in a letter addressed to Mattel's board of directors that "by our calculations, a strategic buyer would pay a price at a substantial premium to the current share price." Ariel listed options including large-scale asset sales, a merger with another company, and a sale of the entire company, and expressed the view that Mattel's portfolio of brands is attractive not only to rival toy makers but also to entertainment companies and traditional private equity investment firms. Mattel has faced unstable sales and rising input costs over the past two years or so as the sharp earnings boost from the hit movie "Barbie" ran its course, and operating profit has declined for the past six quarters. Mattel said in an email to Reuters that "the board and management are committed to acting in the best interests of all shareholders, and we will consider the views expressed in Ariel Investments' letter along with the opinions of other shareholders." This is the second time this year that an investor has emerged asking Mattel to review strategic options; in May, shareholder Southeastern Asset Management urged the company to consider taking it private as well as a takeover by rival Hasbro or by a major media company that might value Mattel's assets more highly than the stock market does. Last week, Mattel received a takeover approach from Authentic Brands Group, and people familiar with the matter told Reuters it could value the company at about 6 billion dollars or more. However, there is no guarantee Mattel will accept the proposal, and no formal sale process has begun. Mattel shares surged on the report, but are still down about 20% since the start of the year, and according to LSEG data, its forward price-to-earnings ratio for the next 12 months is 9.99 times, below the industry average of 14.03 times. Morningstar analyst Jaime Katz said, "There is probably frustration that the business is somewhat stagnant. Given the current valuation, this may be a good time to rebuild the business as a private company out of investors' sight."

LG Electronics will supply its integrated cockpit solution for Renault Group's New Trafic E-Tech Electric, the automaker's first mass-produced commercial vehicle built on a software-defined vehicle architecture and winner of the International Van of the Year award. The solution combines the instrument cluster and infotainment system into a single control platform for the cockpit domain, presenting driving information such as vehicle speed, RPM and warning indicators alongside navigation and media playback in a more consistent and intuitive way across the vehicle's displays. LG said the integration helps automakers cut production costs through component simplification and system optimization, and supports over-the-air software updates central to SDV design. The two companies have a long-standing relationship: LG was named an outstanding supplier by Renault Group in 2014, 2017 and 2020, and the pair developed an Android-based automotive infotainment system in 2021. Eun Seok-hyun, president of the LG Vehicle Solution Company, said LG will continue to advance the core technologies and solutions needed to support the mobility industry's transition to SDVs, and LG plans to expand partnerships with major global automakers across North America, Asia and other key markets.

PVH reported second-quarter revenues of $2.10 billion, down 3.2% year on year, in a quarter that came in line with analysts' expectations on the top line but saw EPS guidance for the next quarter miss expectations. The company, whose brands include Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, beat analysts' EPS estimates for the quarter, and Chief Executive Officer Stefan Larsson said profitability exceeded expectations on disciplined execution of the PVH+ Plan, with direct-to-consumer growth in the Americas and APAC and improved performance in EMEA versus the prior quarter. PVH stock is up 6.5% since reporting and trades at $77.00. Across the 15 consumer discretionary apparel and accessories stocks tracked, group revenues beat consensus by 1.2% while next-quarter revenue guidance came in 4.7% below, and the shares are down 15.4% on average since the latest results. Among peers, Figs reported revenues of $196.6 million, up 28.8% year on year and 5.6% above expectations, while Stitch Fix posted revenues of $324.4 million, up 4.2% and in line, but delivered the group's weakest guidance update.

Ralph Lauren Corporation's women's apparel, outerwear and handbags categories grew more than 20% in the first quarter of fiscal 2027, well ahead of the company's 13% overall revenue growth. Management said the company is still at the beginning of its journey in these categories, with market shares achieved so far representing only the start of the opportunity. In China, sales rose more than 40% in the first quarter of fiscal 2027, though management expects growth of around mid-teens for the full fiscal year amid tougher second-half comparisons. The company carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), and its shares have gained 1.3% in the past six months against the industry's 3.6% decline. RL trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 18.34 versus the industry average of 14.62, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate implies earnings growth of 13.3% for the current fiscal year and 10.6% for the next.

Vince Holding Corp. has acquired the operating business of October's Very Own, or OVO, adding a streetwear growth platform beyond its core Vince brand. OVO generated nearly $50 million in net sales in calendar 2025 and operates 12 stores across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, plus an e-commerce business. Vince Holding plans to expand OVO's store base from 12 locations to about 20 by fiscal 2030, with the United States as a key focus, and to launch a U.S. wholesale business alongside e-commerce improvements. The company targets increasing OVO revenues to more than $100 million by fiscal 2030 with adjusted EBITDA margins in the low-double-digit range. OVO is expected to be earnings neutral, excluding transaction costs, in fiscal 2026 before becoming accretive in fiscal 2027.

JAKKS Pacific is debuting Doll Haus of Dread, a new collector fashion doll line that reimagines horror icons as high-style collectibles, launching exclusively at Walmart and Walmart.com in Fall 2026. The debut lineup features 11-inch dolls inspired by Ghost Face as seen in Scream, Billy the Puppet from Saw, Jason from the Jason Universe franchise, and Pinhead from Hellraiser, each priced at $39.97 with franchise-authentic fashions, signature accessories, and nine points of articulation. Two Ghost Face dolls are offered, one classic hooded version and a limited-edition version available exclusively at Walmart.com wearing a bling-encrusted mask. Dominick Lisi, Senior Vice President of Marketing at JAKKS Pacific, said the dolls honor the DNA of each property while introducing fresh creative perspectives for horror enthusiasts and collectors. The line marks the first chapter in a broader Doll Haus collector destination, with JAKKS planning sub-collections, direct-to-consumer exclusives, and a growing presence at conventions and events.

Sabina Public Company Limited, or SABINA, expects its second-half performance, particularly in the fourth quarter of 2026, to grow better than in the first half, as that period marks the high season for sales. Chief Executive Officer Duangdao Mahanavanont said the company has shifted its strategy from one driven by sales volume to lean inventory management, cutting buffer production across all product groups and instead producing in line with the demand of each target segment, placing greater weight on net profit growth and net profit margin than on accelerating total sales. It is also expanding into non-underwear categories such as men's products under the Sabina Men and Norma brands, as well as sleepwear and activewear. The company has no plans to expand its own factories, opting instead to use quality contract manufacturing partners, or OEMs, in Asian regions such as China to manage costs and increase flexibility in adjusting production capacity. It views the impact of oil prices on petrochemical fiber costs as very low, at less than 1%, because production and raw material bookings are made about six months in advance. Meanwhile, its OEM business for overseas partners is likely to keep growing; where its main customer base was previously in the United Kingdom, it is now seeing more inquiries from customers in other European countries, especially the Nordic nations, as they look for new production bases to reduce the risk of relying on China.

Onsemi announced a new agreement to acquire Synaptics for $123 a share in cash, revising the all-stock deal disclosed in June after an unsolicited competing proposal. Advanced Micro Devices said it would acquire World Labs, an AI model and research lab, in an all-stock transaction valued at nearly $8.2 billion. Hormel Foods agreed to acquire Brakebush Brothers, a value-added chicken provider, from the Brakebush family for approximately $1.055B, with the deal expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal 2027. Lynas Rare Earths agreed to acquire Australian peer Meteoric Resources in an all-stock deal valued at A$968M, or $672M. Mattel soared 19% after a report that the toymaker has recently received takeover interest from Authentic Brands, while Walgreens private-equity owner Sycamore is near a deal to sell the U.K. pharmacy chain Boots for close to $9 billion, including debt.