Wall Street apparently has a curious infatuation with underwear stocks. Shares of L Brands (LB), a company behind Victoria’s Secret, are up 68 cents, or 0.8%, to $89.45 Thursday on the heels of better-than-expected quarterly profit. Profit beat expectations by nearly 2%. But today’s L Brands gain is just the latest leg-up for what’s been a surprising source of powerful strength for the market coming off the 2007 lows: underwear stocks. Three of the nine stocks that have rallied back from the March 2009 lows with the most gusto, Under Armour (UA), Hanesbrands (HBI) and L Brands, make intimate apparel. These are stocks that are up huge – despite being pummeled 70% or more between the Oct. 2007 market high through the March 2009 low. A custom-weighted index of the three underwear makers is up 1,905% since the financial crisis tinged March 2009 low – easily topping the 215% gain by the Standard & Poor’s 500. Chart source: S&P Capital IQ But it’s not just an up-from-the-bottom play. These underwear stocks are up 61% over the past year – easily topping the 12.6% gain by the Standard & Poor’s 500. Under Armour is the biggest winner of the bunch. Shares are up 2,425% from the March 2009 lows and have soared 16% this year alone. Such a massive rise in the stock is one reason why CEO Kevin Plank is one of the CEOs enjoying huge market gains. Under Armour has been delivering massive revenue gains – something investors are increasingly willing to pay up for. Revenue jumped 32% last year – and hasn’t grow any less than 24% in each of the past five years, says S&P Capital IQ. And the future continues to look strong for these companies. L Brands, for instance, boosted its adjusted profit guidance for 2015 by 5 cents a share. A move that “in our view underscoring our, and management’s, confidence in the current outlook,” according to a note from BMO Capital Markets analyst John Morris to investors. UNDERWEAR STOCKS HAVE BEEN STRONGCompanySymbolStock % gain from 3/2009 lowStock % YTDUnder ArmourUA2,425%15.7% YTDHanesbrandsHBI2,004%15.7% YTDL BrandsLB1,299%3.2% YTDS&P 500SPX215%3.5% YTD