ADVERTISEMENT

Under Armour Falls After Warning Counters Earnings Surprise

Under Armour Surges After Net Revenue Beats Highest Estimate

Under Armour Inc. managed to reach more customers than expected last quarter, even with most of its stores closed -- but the road ahead is looking bumpy.

The athletic-goods maker’s second-half revenue is likely to fall 20% to 25%, with its recently improved gross margin coming under new pressure, executives warned on a call with analysts Friday. The volatile stock soared in premarket trading after second-quarter revenue beat estimates, but it gave up the gains after the open, falling as much as 7.3% to $10.61 in New York.

Under Armour Falls After Warning Counters Earnings Surprise

The company expects pressure on its gross margin in the second half of the year, and might not have enough inventory if sales recover faster than expected, executives said on the call.

That would be a comedown from a second quarter in which Under Armour’s gross margin rose to 49.3% from 46.5% a year earlier. The company cited fewer off-price sales and more direct-to-consumer transactions as homebound shoppers ordered online.

Second-quarter revenue fell 41% from a year earlier to $707.6 million, but that handily topped the highest estimate of $596 million, according to a Bloomberg survey of analysts.

The company responded to the Covid-19 slowdown by “amplifying Under Armour’s connection with our consumers through innovative digital activations” and “proactively managing our cost structure,” Chief Executive Officer Patrik Frisk said in a statement.

The Baltimore-based company didn’t address the notices that founder Kevin Plank and Chief Financial Officer David Bergman received from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last week, naming the two in a probe of the company’s accounting.

For more details on the earnings, click here for our TOPLive blog.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.