SGB Executive Sportsmans

Columbia Q4 Boosted By Improving U.S. Business
President and CEO Tim Boyle said, “In the fourth quarter, the U.S. wholesale channel played a significant role contributing to our top line beat relative to our October outlook, aided by improved order conversion.”

Vista Outdoor’s Q3 Hamstrung By Weak Hunt Business
On a conference call with analysts, Christopher Metz, Vista Outdoor’s CEO since October, said the company made progress in the third quarter generating cash, reducing inventories and driving down costs, but continued weakness in its Shooting Sports continues to erode earnings.

Dick’s Seen Benefiting From Eagles Win And Bat Regulation Changes
J.P. Morgan reiterated its “Overweight” rating on Dick’s Sporting Goods as it expects a “near-term comp” benefit from the Philadelphia Eagle’s Super Bowl win and an equal benefit from new Little League bat regulation.

Winchester’s Q4 Profits Tumble On Pricing Pressures
Said John Fischer, Olin’s chairman, president and CEO, on a conference call with analysts, “We’re currently cautious about our Winchester forecast due to the high commodity and other material costs and the pricing environment.”

Johnson Outdoors Buoyed By Strength In Fishing And Diving
On a conference call with analysts, Helen Johnson-Leipold, CEO, said both its Fishing and Diving segment are benefitting from successful innovations. The Camping and Watercraft Recreation segment “continue to be very challenging” and are being impacted by constrained inventories in the marketplace.

Aisle Talk, Week of January 29
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week.

Academy Sports Faces Layoffs Again
Following a round of layoffs last summer, Academy Sports + Outdoors said it will be laying off approximately 140 corporate employees largely due to the outsourcing of certain IT functions at the retailer.

Aisle Talk, Week of January 22
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week.

Susquehanna Upgrades Dick’s SG To Positive On Weather Benefit
Believing the retailer’s fourth-quarter results should surprise on the upside given management’s conservative guidance and the benefits of cold weather, Susquehanna Financial Group raised its rating on Dick’s Sporting Goods to “Positive” from “Neutral.”

Amazon Already Dominant Website For Buying Apparel
Amazon, which has ramped up its investments in the apparel space in only the last few years, appears to have quickly become the leading place consumers buy apparel online, according to a new survey from CPC Strategy.

Aisle Talk, Week Of January 15
Top headlines from the active lifestyle industry you may have missed this week.

CES 2018: Sports Tech’s Highlights
Artificial intelligence, sensors embedded in apparel, the quantified self and gamification were some underlying themes across the sports and fitness-related products that landed at CES 2018. Black Box VR, Garmin, Peloton, Myant, L’Oreal and Sony were among the brands earning some hype.

Buckingham Research Hikes Dick’s To Buy
Buckingham Research raised its rating due to the potential bottoming of domestic athletic cyclical pressures, an improving vendor product pipeline set to arrive in the second half of 2018, and an eventual payback from its strong partnerships with the industry’s key branded players: Nike, Adidas and Under Armour.

Macquarie Capital Downgrades Under Armour To Underperform
Macquarie Capital downgraded its rating on Under Armour to “Underperform” due to sales, margin and capital concerns. Sales In North America are expected to be pressured by the speculated exit out from tennis and some outdoor categories as well as continued challenges from Academy Sports & Outdoor.

Deutsche Bank Upgrades Dick’s On Signs Of Stabilizing Industry
Deutsche Bank upgraded its rating on Dick’s Sporting Goods to “Buy”’ due to the signs of more-favorable trends in footwear and inventory pressures across the industry lessening.