Earnings reward for L Brands eludes most U.S. retailers

L Brands Inc. parted company with most retail peers as its stock surged Thursday after third-quarter results. Earnings at the owner of Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret beat analysts’ average estimate in a Bloomberg survey. 

All but one of 19 other retailers to report also surpassed projections, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Lowe’s Cos. was the exception. Yet most of their shares fell on the first trading day after third-quarter figures came out, for a median decline of 1.7%. The loss contrasts with L Brands’ advance of 18%, the biggest since July.