Columbia Sportswear Company COLM is set to report third-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Oct. 29, after market close. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $938.1 million, implying roughly a 0.6% decline from the prior year.
Meanwhile, the consensus mark for earnings has remained unchanged at $1.25 per share in the past seven days, implying an 11.4% decline from the year-ago period. COLM has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 36%, on average.
Columbia Sportswear Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Columbia Sportswear Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Columbia Sportswear Company Quote
Key Factors to Observe for COLM’s Q3 Earnings
Columbia Sportswear’s third-quarter performance is likely to have been pressured by subdued consumer spending in the United States. Higher fuel and food prices, along with broader inflation, may have dampened demand for discretionary apparel and footwear. Soft store traffic and increased consumer price sensitivity might have further weighed on domestic sales.
Moreover, the company's wholesale business is likely to have faced headwinds from delayed fall shipments. Supply-chain disruptions stemming from the Middle East conflict, longer logistics lead times and capacity constraints may have shifted shipments into the fourth quarter. These delays are likely to have particularly affected North American wholesale sales.
On the profitability front, continued promotional activity, particularly across U.S. outlet stores, is likely to have pressured gross margins. Higher freight costs and accommodations to factory partners may have further pressured margins. Management also anticipated modest SG&A deleverage during the quarter, which is likely to have weighed on operating profitability.
Nevertheless, COLM's performance is likely to have benefited from continued international momentum, particularly in China and Europe. Strength in international e-commerce and wholesale demand may have supported sales. Growing consumer interest in innovative footwear and elevated product collections, along with progress under the ACCELERATE strategy, are likely to have provided some support.
What the Zacks Model Says About COLM’s Q3 Earnings
Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for COLM. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. However, that’s not the case here.
COLM has an Earnings ESP of -7.44% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Stocks With the Favorable Combination
Here are three companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this season:
Ralph Lauren Corporation RL currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.56% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter fiscal 2027 earnings per share is pegged at $4.22, implying 11.4% year-over-year growth. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $2.1 billion, which indicates growth of 6.1% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. RL has an average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8.7%.
Cintas Corporation CTAS currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.24% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2027 earnings per share is pegged at $1.36, implying 12.4% year-over-year growth.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $3 billion, which indicates an increase of nearly 8% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. CTAS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2.4%, on average.
V.F. Corporation VFC currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.80% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter fiscal 2027 earnings per share is pegged at 54 cents, implying a 3.9% year-over-year increase.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $2.7 billion, which indicates a decrease of 3.9% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. VFC has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of roughly 34%, on average.
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Columbia Sportswear Company (COLM): Free Stock Analysis Report
V.F. Corporation (VFC): Free Stock Analysis Report
Cintas Corporation (CTAS): Free Stock Analysis Report
Ralph Lauren Corporation (RL): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).