The Quiet Strength in Mid-Cap Retailer Stocks. What the Charts of Victoria’s Secret, TripAdvisor, Steve Madden Say.

Victoria’s Secret apparel is displayed for sale in Austin, Tex. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Key Points

About This Summary

• Consumer stocks like Victoria’s Secret, TripAdvisor, and Steve Madden show promise from a technical perspective.
• Victoria’s Secret is up almost 50% in three months, breaking out of a consolidation range that signals a potential trend reversal.
• Despite a 27% drop this year, Steve Madden shows signs of a turnaround, with a potential path toward $50 by mid-2026.

Tesla and Amazon continue to command most of the spotlight among consumer stocks—unsurprising seeing how they account for more than 40% of the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF . Tesla, in particular, has regained momentum following Elon Musk’s first insider purchase in five years.

Better-than-anticipated retail sales data released by the Census Bureau Tuesday shed positive light on the sector as a whole. As strength begins to broaden across the group, it may be time to shift some attention to overlooked mid-cap retail names. The market tends to fixate on extremes here—small caps on one end, mega caps on the other—but some of the most promising plays can be found in this middle ground, pun intended. Here are a few such stocks that stand out.

Victoria’s Secret , a former spin-off from L Brands, is showing signs of a meaningful resurgence. The stock is up almost 50% over the past three months, well outpacing the 14% gain in the SPDR S&P Retail ETF. While VSCO still trades 44% below its 52-week high, this month saw it break above a tight consolidation range that had been in place since March.

The old adage “nothing good happens below the 200-day moving average” comes to mind, as shares last week reclaimed that key technical level for the first time since late February. This is often a sign of an early trend reversal. It follows the completion of an inverse head-and-shoulders pattern, adding further credibility to the bullish narrative. The stock looks technically attractive at current levels and it makes sense to stay long above $25.

Victoria’s Secret was trading at $26.69 Tuesday.

VSCO distancing itself from the 200-day simple moving average.

TripAdvisor , the online travel retailer, has gained 28% so far this year, outpacing the 20% return for the Amplify Travel Tech ETF. When key sector peers move in tandem, it often signals a more sustainable path for capital appreciation. In early July, activist Starboard Value took a stake in TRIP.

From a technical standpoint, the stock is demonstrating a few encouraging signs. It’s holding firm around the $18.25 level, an area that previously acted as resistance in November, January, and February. Add in a recent bull flag breakout, and the setup points to a potential move toward $25 in early 2026.

TripAdvisor was trading at $17.57 Tuesday.

TRIP is not backing away from a strong prior resistance level .

Steve Madden has struggled in 2025, down 27%, but signs of a turnaround are emerging. The stock just notched its first six-week winning streak in almost two years and has gained 27% over the past three months. Notice most of those six advancing weeks closed at or near the upper half of its weekly range, often a sign of institutional accumulation.

On the weekly chart, round-number support around $20 continues to play a pivotal role. The stock formed a double bottom at that level this April, matching the lows from October 2020. Its bounce post-October bounce kicked off with a rare doji candle, a pattern known for signaling potential price reversal. With momentum percolating, the stock appears to have a path back toward the $50 area by mid-2026, an important resistance zone tested in both November 2021 and October 2024.

Steve Madden was trading at $31.18 Tuesday.

SHOO continues to firm after a five-year double bottom.

Write to Doug Busch at douglas.busch@barrons.com