• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

2

'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI

1

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

2

'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Under Armour

Here’s Why Under Armour’s Stock Is Killing It Today

By
John Kell
John Kell
Contributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
John Kell
John Kell
Contributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 28, 2016, 1:25 PM ET
Kevin Plank Under Armour 2016
Founder and CEO of Under Armour Kevin Plank speaks during an IBM keynote address at the 2016 CES trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Steve Marcus - RTX21CCXPhotograph by Steve Marcus — Reuters
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank on Thursday celebrated a coronation of sorts. The athletic-gear purveyor–with nearly $4 billion in annual sales–has grown up to become a strong player in a competitive apparel category.

Investors were pleased with the latest results. Revenue for the year grew 28%, with the final quarter up 31%, building on a streak of similar double-digit gains in recent years as Under Armour sells more apparel and footwear to men, women and kids. The strong results helped Under Armour’s stock soar (UA) over 20% on Thursday, as investor worries about slowing growth were assuaged and outlook targets for 2016 were above Wall Street’s expectations.

Plank lauded his brand’s achievements as it celebrates its 20th year in business in 2016. Among the achievements:

  • A decade ago, Under Armour derived 93% of its revenue from apparel, with compression gear representing 64% of the entire business. Today, those figures stand at 71% and less than 10%, respectively, as the brand has carved out success in other categories.
  • International sales totaled just $6 million 10 years ago, primarily driven by a partner’s sales in Japan. Today, that business is worth almost $500 million as it is sold in 60 countries. The hope is for the international sales to make up almost $1 in every $5 dollars in revenue Under Armour earns by 2018.
  • Under Armour didn’t sell a single pair of shoes a decade ago. Today, footwear is nearly totaling $700 million in annual sales. In the fourth quarter of 2015, footwear sales jumped 95% from the year-ago period.

Broadly, consumers are buying more athletic gear not just for the purpose of sport, but also to wear in everyday attire. That trend, called “athleisure,” has helped boost sales for larger rivals like Nike (NKE) and many other brands. It also has lured the attention of startups and in-house brands developed by department stores and fast-fashion sellers.

What’s next for Under Armour? Connected fitness.

It is a small sliver of the company’s business today–$53.4 million in 2015 sales, up 177.8% from the prior year. But Plank spent a lot of time telling investors about the company’s “digital transformation,” which he asserts will be a “business transformation” for Under Armour.

“Before Connected Fitness, we only had retail transaction information for less than 10 million people,” Plank said. That was derived from store and e-commerce purchases.

Now, Under Armour has data from community members who logged two billion activities last year alone. It has spent lavishly to acquire digital and health fitness apps like MyFitnessPal and MapMyFitness. The idea is to use that data to get a better idea of users’ sleep, activity, and fitness. Under Armour wants to build a complete ecosystem to manage health and fitness with data insights.

A word of caution: tech aspirations in the athletic-gear space can be competitive. Nike scaled back on its own initiatives within the space, outsourcing the hardware business for that company’s FuelBand tracker, which faced stiff competition for consumers’ wrists.

Under Armour is also willing to get an assist from partners. Software giant SAP (SAP) is working with the brand under a 10-year pact to help scale up the digital business. Plank said Under Armour would continue to make “big bets with big partners.”

“At Under Armour, we focus on creating products you don’t know you need yet, but once you have it, you won’t remember how you lived without it,” Plank said. “Just like our very first t-shirt.”

About the Author
By John KellContributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence

John Kell is a contributing writer for Fortune and author of Fortune’s CIO Intelligence newsletter.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Current refi mortgage rates report for June 18, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for June 18, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 18, 2026
19 minutes ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 18, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 18, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 18, 2026
19 minutes ago
Mortgage rates today, June 18, 2026
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, June 18, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 18, 2026
19 minutes ago
The U.S. Polo Assn. CEO
SuccessThe Promotion Playbook
Meet the CEO of US Polo Assn: He grew up in one of America’s poorest regions and now hosts Prince William and runs a $2.7 billion brand
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
20 minutes ago
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
SuccessThe Interview Playbook
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
20 minutes ago
Rbotic arm is gripping a CPU inside of a circuit board factory.
InnovationEurope's Most Innovative Companies
Inside Europe’s most innovative companies
By Sam BirchallJune 18, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
18 hours ago
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
Success
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
2 days ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
3 days ago
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
Arts & Entertainment
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
By Christian SyltJune 17, 2026
20 hours ago
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
11 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 16, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.