Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Abercrombie & Fitch Co. jumped the most in more than seven months in New York trading after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. added the U.S. retailer to its “conviction buy” list, citing the potential for international sales growth.

Abercrombie, based in New Albany, Ohio, rose $2.58 to $37.59 at 4:01 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The 7.4 percent gain was the biggest since April 2.

“While the international profit opportunity has been part of the bull case for some time, we see it as a bigger catalyst for shares in the coming quarters as the pace of openings is accelerating notably,” Michelle Tan, a Goldman Sachs analyst, said in the note yesterday. “We expect ANF could accelerate their pace of international openings in 2011 and beyond.”

Abercrombie, which also operates Hollister clothing stores, may also benefit from increased tourist traffic in U.S. locations and its efforts to cast itself as a better value compared with competitors, said Tan.

To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Bensinger in New York at gbensinger1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 9, 2009 16:14 EST