The broader stock market tumbled early in 2020 as COVID-19 emerged but saw a faster-than-expected recovery in the back half of the year that carried many stocks in the active lifestyle space to greater heights.
Of the 80 stocks in the active lifestyle space tracked by SGB Executive, 50 showed gains, marking the second strong year for the sector after a number of bankruptcies weighed against share gains in prior years.
For the most part, the stocks that saw the most appreciation benefited from behavior changes during the pandemic. Many consumers discovered at-home fitness as their gyms were closed or restricted due to the pandemic, and that boosted the financial performance and shares of Nautilus, vaulting over ten-fold in 2020; and Peloton, which saw a 434.2 percent increase last year.
Sizeable gains by Vista Outdoor, up 217.7 percent; Smith & Wesson Brands, 150.4 percent; Johnson Outdoors, 46.8 percent; Camping World, 76.7 percent; and Fox Factory, 53.0 percent reflect strong performances linked to greater interest in outdoor activities due to the stay-at-home economy. Lululemon Athletica was ahead 49.6 percent in 2020, and Nike was up 39.6 percent. Both companies benefited from better-than-expected performances despite being challenged by store closures and restrictions.
Sporting goods chains delivered solid share performances as the healthy outdoors and at-home fitness trends offset weakness in team sports. Shares of Big 5 Sporting Goods grew 240.3 percent; Hibbett Sports gained 69.8 percent, and Dick’s Sporting Goods added 13.6 percent. Academy Sports went public at $13 in early October and closed 2020 at $20.73. Shares of Sportsman’s Warehouse were boosted in part by its deal near the close of the year to be acquired by Bass Pro.
Among the declining stocks in the active lifestyle space were many with exposure to apparel and dressier footwear, categories that faced challenges with the work-from-home environment. Department stores also had another challenging year.
Overall, all three key stock benchmarks ended 2020 with gains for the second year in a row. The Dow climbed 7.3 percent, while the S&P rose 16.3 percent. For the Nasdaq, it was its best year since 2009, with a 43.6 percent gain.
| Company | Symbol | 12/31/20 | 12/31/19 | Change |
| Nautilus | NLS | $18.14 | $1.75 | 936.6% |
| RYU Apparel | RYUN | $0.15 | $0.02 | 650.0% |
| Peloton Interactive | PTON | $151.72 | $28.40 | 434.2% |
| Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp. | BGFV | $10.21 | $3.00 | 240.3% |
| Vista Outdoor | VSTO | $23.76 | $7.48 | 217.6% |
| Apex Global Brands | APEX | $2.45 | $0.78 | 214.1% |
| Smith & Wesson Brands | SWBI | $17.75 | $7.09 | 150.4% |
| Dorel Industries | DII-B.TO | $14.93 | $5.98 | 149.7% |
| Sportsman’s Warehouse | SPWH | $17.55 | $8.03 | 118.6% |
| Escalade | ESCA | $21.17 | $9.83 | 115.4% |
| Yeti | YETI | $68.47 | $34.78 | 96.9% |
| GoPro | GPRO | $8.28 | $4.34 | 90.8% |
| Camping World Holdings | CWH | $26.05 | $14.74 | 76.7% |
| Amazon.com | AMZN | $3,256.93 | $1,847.84 | 76.3% |
| Deckers Outdoor Corp. | DECK | $286.78 | $168.86 | 69.8% |
| Hibbett Sports | HIBB | $46.18 | $28.04 | 64.7% |
| Fox Factory Holding Corp | FOXF | $105.71 | $69.57 | 51.9% |
| Lululemon Athletica | LULU | $348.03 | $231.67 | 50.2% |
| Crocs | CROX | $62.66 | $41.89 | 49.6% |
| Johnson Outdoors | JOUT | $112.63 | $76.70 | 46.8% |
| Olin Corporation | OLN | $24.56 | $17.25 | 42.4% |
| Nike | NKE | $141.47 | $101.31 | 39.6% |
| eBay | EBAY | $50.25 | $36.11 | 39.2% |
| Sturm, Ruger & Company | RGR | $65.07 | $47.03 | 38.4% |
| Target Corp. | TGT | $176.53 | $128.21 | 37.7% |
| Costco Wholesale Corp. | COST | $376.78 | $293.92 | 28.2% |
| Thor Industries | THO | $92.99 | $72.67 | 28.0% |
| The Buckle | BKE | $29.20 | $23.36 | 25.0% |
| Acushnet Holdings Corp. | GOLF | $40.54 | $32.50 | 24.7% |
| Gaia | GAIA | $9.88 | $7.99 | 23.7% |
| Helen of Troy Ltd. | HELE | $222.19 | $179.79 | 23.6% |
| Garmin Ltd. | GRMN | $119.66 | $97.56 | 22.7% |
| Walmart | WMT | $144.15 | $118.84 | 21.3% |
| Canadian Tire Corp. | CTC.TO | $208.00 | $176.25 | 18.0% |
| Vail Resorts | MTN | $278.96 | $239.83 | 16.3% |
| Burlington Stores | BURL | $261.55 | $228.03 | 14.7% |
| The Gap | GPS | $20.19 | $17.68 | 14.2% |
| Dick’s Sporting Goods | DKS | $56.21 | $49.49 | 13.6% |
| Clarus Corp. | CLAR | $15.40 | $13.56 | 13.6% |
| Callaway Golf Company | ELY | $24.01 | $21.20 | 13.3% |
| Winnebago Industries | WGO | $59.94 | $52.98 | 13.1% |
| Adidas AG | ADDYY | $182.99 | $162.80 | 12.4% |
| The TJX Companies | TJX | $68.29 | $61.06 | 11.8% |
| Newell Brands | NWL | $21.23 | $19.22 | 10.5% |
| Zumiez | ZUMZ | $36.78 | $34.54 | 6.5% |
| Sequential Brands Group | SQBG | $14.35 | $13.60 | 5.5% |
| Ross Stores | ROST | $122.81 | $116.42 | 5.5% |
| Shoe Carnival | SCVL | $39.18 | $37.28 | 5.1% |
| Foot Locker | FL | $40.44 | $38.99 | 3.7% |
| Fitbit | FIT | $6.80 | $6.57 | 3.5% |
| Duluth Holdings | DLTH | $10.56 | $10.53 | 0.3% |
| Hanesbrands | HBI | $14.58 | $14.85 | -1.8% |
| Rocky Brands | RCKY | $28.07 | $29.43 | -4.6% |
| Gildan Activewear | GIL | $28.01 | $29.53 | -5.1% |
| Winmark Corp. | WINA | $185.80 | $198.30 | -6.3% |
| Iconix Brand Group | ICON | $1.26 | $1.35 | -6.7% |
| Wolverine World Wide | WWW | $31.25 | $33.74 | -7.4% |
| PVH Corp. | PVH | $93.89 | $105.15 | -10.7% |
| Columbia Sportswear Co. | COLM | $87.38 | $100.19 | -12.8% |
| Dillard’s | DDS | $63.05 | $73.48 | -14.2% |
| V.F. Corp. | VFC | $85.41 | $99.66 | -14.3% |
| Compass Diversified | CODI | $19.45 | $23.03 | -15.5% |
| Skechers U.S.A. | SKX | $35.94 | $43.19 | -16.8% |
| Canada Goose Holdings | GOOS | $29.77 | $36.24 | -17.9% |
| Kohl’s Corporation | KSS | $40.69 | $50.95 | -20.1% |
| Nordstrom | JWN | $31.21 | $40.93 | -23.7% |
| G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. | GIII | $23.74 | $33.50 | -29.1% |
| Unifi | UFI | $17.74 | $25.26 | -29.8% |
| Under Armour | UAA | $14.88 | $21.60 | -31.1% |
| Tilly’s | TLYS | $8.16 | $12.25 | -33.4% |
| Macy’s | M | $11.25 | $17.00 | -33.8% |
| Caleres | CAL | $15.65 | $23.75 | -34.1% |
| Boot Barn Holdings | BOOT | $29.20 | $44.53 | -34.4% |
| Delta Apparel | DLA | $20.07 | $31.10 | -35.5% |
| Genesco | GCO | $30.09 | $47.92 | -37.2% |
| Slinger Bag | SLBG | $0.90 | $1.44 | -37.4% |
| Weyco Group | WEYS | $15.84 | $26.45 | -40.1% |
| Emerald Expositions Events | EEX | $5.42 | $10.55 | -48.6% |
| Designer Brands | DBI | $7.65 | $15.74 | -51.4% |
| J. C. Penney Company | JCP | $0.15 | $1.12 | -86.8% |
