It's not the easiest of times for the consumer, so why do the consumer numbers look so good?  More importantly, why should an investor consider consumer discretionary stocks?  Citigroup's Kimberly Greenberger has some answers and some recommendations.

"Year-to-date, we've seen some very nice outperformance in the...broad group of softline stocks that I monitor," she told CNBC. 

That being the case, Greenberger has become more selective in her investing in consumer names.

Recommendations:

Greenberger likes Coach

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[COH  Loading...      ()   ] and Ann Taylor

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"Coach saw their business slow down in the fourth quarter last year, and we're about three quarters into the slowdown," she said. 

Coach shares have suffered accordingly, and she now believes that they are a bargain.

"If a company can put out really compelling, fabulous merchandise in its stores, it's blowing out the doors at full price," she said.  "The consumer is looking for a reason to spend, but they're being much more selective."

Ann Taylor, she notes, is closing underperforming stores and cutting corporate expenses.

Disclosures:

No disclosure information for Kimberly Greenberger was available.

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