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

Trendingnow

1

Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer

2

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

3

Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026

1

Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer

2

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

3

Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
RetailUnder Armour

Why Shares of Under Armour Are Tanking

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
October 25, 2016, 11:22 AM ET

Under Armour warned investors that sales growth would slow over the next two years, and the news sent shares down sharply on Tuesday.

The Baltimore-based athletic gear maker said that while it still expects to hit $7.5 billion in revenue by 2018, sales growth over the next two years would be within the range of the “low 20s” on a percentage basis. Over the past three years, Under Armour (UA) reported annual sales growth of 28% in 2015, 32% in 2014, and 27% in 2013. The projected sales increases for 2017 and 2018 would thus imply a deceleration in growth.

“While we expect to continue to significantly outpace the apparel industry, the growth rate going forward will be less than expected from our investor day in 2015,” said Under Armour Chief Financial Officer Chip Molloy.

Investors signaled their concerns. Under Armour’s shares slipped about 13% on Tuesday. The stock has tumbled 34% from the 52-week high on worries about a slowdown in growth.

under-armour-rev-growth

Founded just 20 years ago, Under Armour has built itself up to become a significant rival to Nike (NKE) and Adidas in North America, at first by building a sizable men’s apparel business. It then found more success in the footwear space, propelled by a savvy deal with NBA star Stephen Curry, and also by paying more attention to the women’s market. Footwear grew from a $239 million business in 2012 to approaching $1 billion in revenue this year. Impressively, the quarterly sales increase Under Armour reported on Tuesday—a 22% jump in sales to $1.47 billion—was the 26th consecutive quarter of revenue growth above 20%.

But Under Armour, with $3.5 billion in North American sales, is still far tinier than its core rivals. Nike @Nike(NKE)and Adidas (ADDYY) generate $18 billion in revenue in that market, Chief Executive Kevin Plank said. He isn’t discouraged by their behemoth positions. “We have tremendous runway in our home market,” Plank said. “We think we have opportunities to gain market share.”

Plank found himself playing a bit of defense on his conference call with analysts on Tuesday. The recent bankruptcies of some major sportswear retailers, including Sports Authority and City Sports, accounted for a loss of $4 billion in revenue for the industry in North America. That hurt distribution for Under Armour, though Plank contends the brand is still a powerhouse.

“We want to be clear, our demand is still there,” Plank said. “The demand for the Under Armour brand hasn’t disappeared, but it hasn’t reappeared dollar-for-dollar in our distribution.” Going forward, Under Armour plans to respond by focusing more on direct-to-consumer retail—a strategy Nike is also pursuing—and finding other places to sell its apparel and footwear, like Kohl’s (KSS).

Part of why Under Armour is finding itself squeezed in North America is that Adidas is recapturing lost market share. Nike, meanwhile, had a successful summer thanks to the Rio Olympics and continues to perform very well as the industry’s market leader.

While Plank continued to boast of the opportunity to gain market share in the North American apparel market, he touted international expansion and a greater focus on footwear as two arenas that would be most compelling for Under Armour going forward. He says that the footwear business could be as big, if not bigger, than where apparel stands today. Footwear is in fact growing faster: sales increased 54% to $785 million for the first nine months of 2016 from a year ago, while apparel revenue jumped 19% to $2.3 billion over the same period.

As Under Armour gets bigger, it makes it tougher for the company to boost sales at a pace that investors were used to. But there’s one advantage that investors seem to be ignoring. The bigger business means Under Armour can compete for key contracts with sports leagues, individual athletes, and universities. Those deals are important for a brand to become more top of mind with shoppers. A recent example? Reports earlier this month that Under Armour will become the official apparel provider for Major League Baseball.

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

Latest in Retail

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 Retail

Agility Robotics Chief Executive Peggy Johnson speaks on stage at Brainstorm Tech 2026 in Aspen, Colorado.
AIBrainstorm Tech
Tech leaders argue AI’s real future Is task augmentation, not mass layoffs
By Sebastian HerreraJune 11, 2026
21 hours ago
visa
AIVisa
Visa thinks it’s a great idea for AI agents to shop and pay for things without human approval
By Barbara Ortutay, Ken Sweet and The Associated PressJune 11, 2026
1 day ago
South Korea fines Coupang record $409 million for data breach
AsiaCoupang
South Korea fines Coupang record $409 million for data breach
By Jaehyun Eom, Shinhye Kang and BloombergJune 11, 2026
1 day ago
Honda recalls nearly 900,000 cars thanks to rear suspension problems
RetailHonda
Honda recalls nearly 900,000 cars thanks to rear suspension problems
By The Associated PressJune 10, 2026
2 days ago
Jamie Laing thinks tomorrow’s Fortune 500 will be built by creators. He might be right 
C-Suitecreator economy
Jamie Laing thinks tomorrow’s Fortune 500 will be built by creators. He might be right 
By Sam BirchallJune 10, 2026
2 days ago
Matt Damon and Gary White.
EnvironmentWaters
Corporate America has been draining the world’s water. Matt Damon’s new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
By Catherina GioinoJune 9, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
Energy
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
By Sasha RogelbergJune 10, 2026
2 days ago
Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
Environment
Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
By Catherina GioinoJune 9, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 11, 2026
1 day ago
When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
Investing
When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
By Jim EdwardsJune 12, 2026
4 hours ago
Marc Lore’s robots make 500 burrito bowls an hour. A human can make 45
Innovation
Marc Lore’s robots make 500 burrito bowls an hour. A human can make 45
By Amanda GerutJune 9, 2026
3 days ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
Success
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
By Preston ForeJune 8, 2026
4 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.