Can Wolverine World Wide Sustain Its Brand-Led Momentum Through 2025?

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. WWW posted a strong second quarter in 2025, with revenues rising 11.5% year over year to $474.2 million. The performance reflected momentum across its brand portfolio, particularly Saucony and Merrell, which delivered double-digit growth and margin expansion. The results underscored the success of the company’s strategy focused on innovation, lifestyle relevance and disciplined execution.Saucony led the way with record second-quarter revenues, up 41.5% year over year and delivered 560 basis points of gross margin expansion. The brand strengthened its position in both performance and lifestyle running, driven by launches such as the Endorphin Speed 5 and Triumph 23, while its core running franchises posted double-digit gains. Lifestyle distribution expanded to nearly 1,300 specialty retail doors, complemented by new flagship stores in London and plans for Paris. Visibility was further enhanced through global activations, including sponsorships of the London and Eiffel Tower 10Ks.Merrell also delivered strong results, growing 10.7% while achieving nearly 600 basis points of margin expansion. Its modernized trail offerings, including the Moab Speed 2, SpeedARC Matis and Agility Peak 5, continued to drive category share gains. The brand extended its reach in lifestyle footwear with casual franchises such as Jungle Moc, resonating with younger consumers. International momentum was notable, with Tokyo and Paris at the center of its key city strategy and market leadership achieved in France.Sweaty Betty demonstrated progress, narrowing revenue declines to 6.1% while improving margins by more than 500 basis points. Efforts to restore its premium positioning were supported by campaigns like Wear the Damn Shorts and the launch of a new U.K. app, setting the stage for disciplined growth in core markets and digital channels.The Wolverine brand also advanced, highlighted by premium product introductions such as the Workshop Wedge and Infinity System work boot line, which quickly sold through. With Saucony and Merrell driving growth, and Sweaty Betty and Wolverine showing encouraging signs of stabilization, the company enters the second half of 2025 positioned for sustained momentum and continued brand-led expansion.How DECK, TPR & URBN Stack Up Against WWWDeckers Outdoor Corporation DECK, Tapestry, Inc. TPR and Urban Outfitters Inc. URBN are the key footwear companies competing with Deckers in brand innovation.Deckers’ flagship brands, HOKA and UGG, powered strong first-quarter fiscal 2026 results. HOKA rose 19.8% year over year to $653.1 million on innovation, wholesale expansion and global reach, while UGG grew 18.9% to $265.1 million with lifestyle resonance and product momentum. Deckers delivered record net sales of $964.5 million, up 16.9% year over year, leveraging operational excellence and disciplined execution to strengthen premium footwear leadership.Tapestry’s brand portfolio delivered solid performance in the fourth quarter fiscal 2025, with net sales reflecting an 8.3% year-over-year increase. Coach led with a 14% sales increase to $1.43 billion, reflecting strong global demand and brand strength. Kate Spade posted a 13% decline to $252.6 million, while Stuart Weitzman slipped 10% to $45.5 million. Overall, growth was anchored by Coach, underscoring its role as Tapestry’s primary growth driver.URBN’s brand portfolio, comprising Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, FP Movement and Nuuly, showcased strong performance in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, with all brands delivering positive comps. Urban Outfitters marked its first positive comp in some time, while Nuuly saw a 59.5% jump in net sales due to a 52.9% rise in average active subscribers from the prior-year quarter.Wolverine’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of Wolverine have gained 29.3% year to date against the industry’s decline of 1.5%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research From a valuation standpoint, WWW trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 19.78X, well below the industry’s average of 30.45X. It has a Value Score of D. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WWW’s financial 2025 earnings implies year-over-year growth of 44%, whereas the same for 2026 indicates an uptick of 17.2%. Estimates for financial year 2025 and 2026 have been upward by 24 cents and 22 cents, respectively, in the past 30 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research WWW currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Free Report: Profiting from the 2nd Wave of AI ExplosionThe next phase of the AI explosion is poised to create significant wealth for investors, especially those who get in early. It will add literally trillion of dollars to the economy and revolutionize nearly every part of our lives.Investors who bought shares like Nvidia at the right time have had a shot at huge gains.But the rocket ride in the "first wave" of AI stocks may soon come to an end. The sharp upward trajectory of these stocks will begin to level off, leaving exponential growth to a new wave of cutting-edge companies.Zacks' AI Boom 2.0: The Second Wave report reveals 4 under-the-radar companies that may soon be shining stars of AI’s next leap forward.Access AI Boom 2.0 now, absolutely free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Deckers Outdoor Corporation (DECK): Free Stock Analysis Report Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN): Free Stock Analysis Report Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (WWW): Free Stock Analysis Report Tapestry, Inc. (TPR): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks