Birkenstock raises revenue forecast on strong demand, shares jump

By Sanskriti Shekhar

Aug 13 (Reuters) - Birkenstock raised its annual sales growth forecast on Thursday, signaling that demand for its premium sandals and clogs remains resilient despite concerns that the German shoe maker was losing momentum.

Shares of the company jumped about 15% to $43.29, but remained shy of its $63.68 record high hit two years ago.

The stronger outlook contrasts investor concerns earlier this year that Birkenstock's premium positioning was becoming a headwind, as steady full-price demand, direct-to-consumer growth and strength in Asia helped the company defy broader weakness across the apparel and footwear sector.

"While there is much nuance including FX pressures and channel and regional specific nuance, BIRK's underlying revenue growth has been consistently industry leading. The noise of the nuance has been loud but the underlying growth has been there the entire time," Simeon Siegel, analyst at Guggenheim Securities, said.

Sales through Birkenstock's direct-to-consumer channel, including its own stores and website, rose 14% and accounted for nearly 39% of quarterly revenue.

It said demand remained strong across both sandals and closed-toe styles, supported by new product introductions and collaborations. Sales of its Naples clog more than quadrupled from a year earlier, while sales of closed-toe styles excluding the iconic Boston clog rose more than 50%.

Management also said disruptions tied to the conflict in the Middle East proved less severe than initially expected. Birkenstock now estimates a hit of only high single-digit millions of euros in the second half versus an earlier forecast of 10 million to 12 million euros.

"We were able to mitigate much of the pressure (from the Middle East conflict) through adjustments in the delivery routes and strength in the other parts of the region," CFO Ivica Krolo said on a post-earnings call.

Asia-Pacific sales increased 18% on a reported basis during the quarter, while the Americas grew 11% and EMEA rose 15%.

Birkenstock now expects fiscal year 2026 revenue growth of 15% on a constant currency basis, compared with its earlier forecast of a 13% to 15% rise. It maintained its annual profit forecast of 1.90 euros to 2.05 euros per share.

Third-quarter revenue rose 13% to 719.5 million euros ($829.1 million), beating analysts' average estimate of 713.4 million euros, according to data compiled by LSEG. Adjusted earnings per share came in at 0.74 euro, below estimates of 0.76 euro.

($1 = 0.8678 euros)

(Reporting by Sanskriti Shekhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)