Mill's woes 'fundamental'

By Don Hogsett -- Home Textiles Today, 2/2/2004 12:00:00 AM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —

Ongoing problems at Dan River Inc. "appear to be fundamental," and possibly of long-term duration, said high-yield textiles analyst Jeffrey S. Stewart, of Charlotte-based Wachovia Securities.

Stewart, a long-time observer of the home fashions industry, said in a recent research report that after Dan River received a waiver of third-quarter debt covenants, "we were prepared for at least a few quarters of difficulty."

Now, Dan River has sought an additional waiver covering the fourth quarter, a move which "reinforces our belief that improvement may not be a near-term event and that the company's issues appear to be fundamental rather than market-oriented," said Stewart.

After two straight quarterly sales declines, he said, "We continue to believe that liquidity will be tight."