Sectors & IndustriesConsumer CyclicalApparel Retail

Best Apparel Stocks to Buy Now (2026)

Top apparel stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +28.50% per year, and are the best apparel stocks to buy now. Learn More.

According to Zen Ratings, our proprietary rating system that evaluates 115 factors proven to drive growth in stocks and assigns each stock in our system an overall letter grade as well as 7 individual Component Grades for Value, Growth, Momentum, Sentiment, Safety, Financials, and proprietary AI algorithms, the 3 best clothing stocks to buy right now are:

Carters (NYSE:CRI) is the #1 top apparel stock out of 33 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +17.17% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Carters (NYSE:CRI) is: Value: A, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Carters (NYSE:CRI) has a Due Diligence Score of 40, which is 7 points higher than the apparel industry average of 33.

CRI passed 14 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Carters has seen its stock return 11.7% over the past year, overperforming other apparel stocks by 34 percentage points.

Carters has an average 1 year price target of $41.50, an upside of 23.7% from Carters's current stock price of $33.55.

Carters stock has a consensus Hold recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 3 analysts covering Carters, 0% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 100% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

Tilly's (NYSE:TLYS) is the #2 top apparel stock out of 33 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +17.17% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Tilly's (NYSE:TLYS) is: Value: C, Growth: B, Momentum: B, Sentiment: A, Safety: D, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Tilly's (NYSE:TLYS) has a Due Diligence Score of 23, which is -10 points lower than the apparel industry average of 33. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates TLYS as a "B".

TLYS passed 7 out of 33 due diligence checks and has weak fundamentals. Tilly's has seen its stock return 109.55% over the past year, overperforming other apparel stocks by 132 percentage points.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) is the #3 top apparel stock out of 33 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +17.17% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) is: Value: C, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: A, and AI: B.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) has a Due Diligence Score of 51, which is 18 points higher than the apparel industry average of 33.

ROST passed 19 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Ross Stores has seen its stock return 51.29% over the past year, overperforming other apparel stocks by 74 percentage points.

Ross Stores has an average 1 year price target of $271.33, an upside of 17.62% from Ross Stores's current stock price of $230.69.

Ross Stores stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 12 analysts covering Ross Stores, 41.67% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 25% have issued a Buy, 33.33% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

Out of 9 apparel stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 apparel stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) has an annual dividend yield of 10.2%, which is 7 percentage points higher than the apparel industry average of 3.05%. Buckle's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% eight times in the last 10 years. Buckle's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Buckle's dividend payout ratio of 100% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Shoe Station Group (NASDAQ:SHOE) has an annual dividend yield of 4.55%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the apparel industry average of 3.05%. Shoe Station Group's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% one times in the last 10 years. Shoe Station Group's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Shoe Station Group's dividend payout ratio of 45.6% indicates that its high dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

Gap (NYSE:GAP) has an annual dividend yield of 3.03%, which is the same as the apparel industry average of 3.05%. Gap's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% one times in the last 10 years. Gap's dividend has not shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Gap's dividend payout ratio of 19.9% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

Apparel stocks were up 0.38% in the last day, and down -2.56% over the last week. Lululemon Athletica was the among the top gainers in the apparel retail industry, gaining 2.56% yesterday.

Lululemon Athletica shares are trading lower after the company reported mixed Q2 financial results and lowered its FY26 guidance below analyst estimates.

Based on the Valuation rating, one of the 7 components of a stocks overall Zen Ratings grade, which evaluates factors including estimated earnings yield, earnings before interest and taxes/enterprise value, cash flow yield, free cash flow to price, and price-to-earnings growth (PEG ratio), the 3 most undervalued apparel stocks right now are:

Carters (NYSE:CRI) is the most undervalued apparel stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Carters has a valuation score of 43, which is 12 points higher than the apparel industry average of 31. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Carters's stock has gained 11.7% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the apparel industry by 34 percentage points.

Gap (NYSE:GAP) is the second most undervalued apparel stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Gap has a valuation score of 43, which is 12 points higher than the apparel industry average of 31. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Gap's stock has dropped -7.29% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the apparel industry by 15 percentage points.

Jjill (NYSE:JILL) is the third most undervalued apparel stock based on its Valuation Rating of B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Jjill has a valuation score of 71, which is 40 points higher than the apparel industry average of 31. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Jjill's stock has gained 9.31% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the apparel industry by 32 percentage points.

34.78% of apparel stocks rated by analysts are a buy right now. On average, analysts expect apparel stocks to rise by 21.75% over the next year.

0% of apparel stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 17.86% of apparel stocks are rated B (Buy), 67.86% are rated C (Hold), 7.14% are rated D (Sell), and 7.14% are rated F (Strong Sell).