The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, Oct. 31, edition that Scotia Capital analyst George Doumet is keeping his "sector outperform" call and $36.50 (U.S.) share target on Gildan Activewear intact. The Globe's David Leeder writes in the Eye On Equities column that analysts on average target the shares at $48 (Canadian). Mr. Doumet says in a note: "While Gildan should continue to face near-term demand challenges, we highlight that the difficult comparative periods are moving behind them (both in terms of topline and margins). In the context of Gildan's significantly discounted valuation and what we see as an improving exit to the year (positioning the company for mid-single-digit top line and mid-teens operating income growth next year) -- we see (very) attractive risk/reward proposition. Furthermore, as demand recovers, Gildan is primed to capture more share with its expanded low cost/flexible manufacturing capacity. Lastly, Gildan also maintains a healthy balance sheet, which we believe could be increasingly used for capital return to shareholders. Gildan remains a top discretionary idea." The Globe reported on Oct. 24 that Stifel analyst Martin Landry rated Gildan "buy" when it was worth $28.67 (U.S.).