Crocs & 3 Other Consumer Discretionary Stocks to Buy in 2026

Crocs, Inc. CROX ranks among the world’s most recognizable footwear brands, known for its distinctive style and comfort. From a brand fundamentals perspective, Crocs has successfully transformed from a functional niche brand into a culturally relevant lifestyle name. The company is fueling growth through targeted collaborations and ongoing product innovation, while remaining focused on its long-term strategy to achieve sustainable, profitable growth. In short, disciplined execution across brand building, product innovation and go-to-market strategies remains central to Crocs’ growth agenda.As a result, shares of this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company have risen 11.3% in the past three months, outperforming the Zacks  Textile - Apparel industry’s 0.5% drop and broader Consumer Discretionary sector’s 7.8% decline. The stock has also outpaced the S&P 500 index’s 1.4% rise.What’s Working in Favor of CROX?Crocs is seeing momentum in core clogs, sandals categories and personalization, including Jibbitz, and broad-based strength across both its digital and retail channels. The company is prioritizing product innovations across its key product categories, while remaining agile and deeply consumer-focused. CROX is refreshing its iconic silhouettes with updated materials, colors and comfort features, while introducing new product lines in sandals, boots and seasonal footwear. The company is building momentum with innovations like the Echo and In-Motion franchises. Management consistently emphasizes Crocs’ strong brand resonance across geographies. This allows the company to maintain pricing discipline, limit discounting and protect margins even in a tough consumer environment. CROX is also sharpening customer segmentation and accelerating international expansion, targeting markets where brand penetration and long-term growth opportunities remain high.Crocs’ direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel remains a key growth engine. A significant portion of the company’s revenues comes from DTC sales, including e-commerce and company-owned stores. In fact, a balanced DTC and wholesale channel mix allows Crocs to maintain strong brand engagement through its owned platforms while leveraging wholesale partners to efficiently scale distribution. Continued investments in digital platforms, data analytics and demand forecasting have strengthened inventory management, enabled more targeted marketing, reduced markdown risk and improved working capital efficiency.Although Crocs’ HEYDUDE brand is facing sluggishness driven by a cautious U.S. consumer, elevated tariffs and wholesale channel pressures, it is already refreshing HEYDUDE’s product lineup, introducing updated icons like the Wally and Wendy, and launching new offerings. The brand is navigating a prolonged reset in North America, marked by incremental inventory returns, wholesale cleanups and a pullback in performance marketing to improve profitability.  Collectively, the aforesaid factors are expected to sustain Crocs’ growth momentum.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchDriven by such factors, Crocs is witnessing strong positive earnings estimate revisions in the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CROX’s earnings per share (EPS) for the current year and next year is currently pegged at $12.13 and $12.60, respectively, showing growth of 5% and 8.6%.3 More Promising Consumer Discretionary StocksHere we have identified three discretionary stocks that will continue performing well in 2026, buoyed by their robust strategic efforts and other strengths. These stocks have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, sporting a Zacks Rank of 1 or 2 (Buy), and are well-poised to deliver solid returns. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.We have highlighted three other top-ranked stocks, namely, Ralph Lauren RL, G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. GIII and Guess?, Inc. GES.Ralph Lauren, a designer and distributor of premium lifestyle products, including apparel, accessories and footwear, currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2. It continues to benefit from its iconic brand portfolio, constant product innovations and disciplined execution of its Next Great Chapter strategy. The company is accelerating its digital transformation by enhancing personalization, strengthening data-driven decision-making and delivering seamless omnichannel experiences. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RL’s EPS for the current year and next year is currently pegged at $15.41 and $16.81, respectively. The consensus estimate for the current year and next year has increased 3% and 3.5%, respectively, in the past 60 days. RL’s shares have gained 20.3% in the past three months.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchG-III Apparel is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of apparel and accessories under licensed brands, owned brands and private label brands, and has a Zacks Rank of 2. GIII is driving growth through key strategic pillars, including product differentiation, strengthening its DTC channels, accelerating international expansion and leveraging licensing to broaden brand reach. Higher-margin owned brands, including Donna Karan, DKNY, Karl Lagerfeld and Vilebrequin, appear encouraging. Ongoing digital and retail investments are enhancing consumer engagement. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for G-III Apparel’s EPS for the current year and next year is currently pegged at $2.88 and $3.08, respectively, indicating a jump of 6.3% and 3.4%, over the past 30 days. GIII’s shares have risen 18.7% in the past three months.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchGuess? is positioned for sustainable growth, supported by strategic acquisitions like rag & bone, strong Europe and Asia performance, and multi-channel expansion. This Zacks Rank #2 company continues to enhance efficiency, optimize store footprint and realign resources toward higher-performing segments. Its global brand elevation efforts, including targeted marketing, influencer collaborations and the integration of rag & bone, are strengthening its portfolio and positioning it as a more premium, diversified and resilient global retailer. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GES’ EPS for the current year is currently pegged at $1.69, reflecting a rise of 5.6% in the past 30 days. GES’ shares have surged 40.4% in the past six months.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchZacks Naming Top 10 Stocks for 2026Want to be tipped off early to our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2026? History suggests their performance could be sensational.From 2012 (when our Director of Research Sheraz Mian assumed responsibility for the portfolio) through November, 2025, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks gained +2,530.8%, more than QUADRUPLING the S&P 500’s +570.3%.Now Sheraz is combing through 4,400 companies to handpick the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2026. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these stocks when they’re released on January 5. Be First to New Top 10 Stocks >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Ralph Lauren Corporation (RL): Free Stock Analysis Report Guess?, Inc. (GES): Free Stock Analysis Report Crocs, Inc. (CROX): Free Stock Analysis Report G-III Apparel Group, LTD. (GIII): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks