Kontoor Brands Reports Stronger 2026 First Quarter Results and Raises Full Year Outlook; Announces Planned Divestiture of Lee and $750 Million Share Repurchase Program

About this update from Kontoor Brands, Inc.

During the first quarter, the Company initiated a competitive process to divest the Lee business. As a result, the Company’s first quarter results and updated 2026 outlook reflect the presentation of the Lee business as discontinued operations. Key Highlights GREENSBORO, N.C., May 07, 2026 --( BUSINESS WIRE )--Kontoor Brands, Inc. (NYSE: KTB) today reported financial results for its first quarter ended April 4, 2026. "Our strong first quarter results reflect the power of our operating model combined with strong execution," said Scott Baxter, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors. "Wrangler drove another quarter of broad-based growth and market share gains, and Helly Hansen delivered better-than-expected revenue and profitability. Our decision to divest Lee enables sharper focus on the opportunities with greatest potential to maximize shareholder returns as we align the Kontoor brand portfolio to a higher growth profile." "Our updated outlook reflects better than expected first quarter results and improving visibility for Wrangler and Helly Hansen," added Joe Alkire, Kontoor Brands’ Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Global Head of Operations. "Our planned divestiture of the Lee business is in an advanced state and has attracted interest from multiple parties. We are confident in our ability to successfully complete a transaction this year, resulting in significantly more capital allocation optionality and accelerated growth as we drive enhanced shareholder returns into 2027 and beyond." Planned Divestiture of the Lee Business During the first quarter of 2026, the Company initiated a competitive process to divest the Lee business. The process has attracted interest from multiple parties and the Company anticipates entering into a definitive agreement to divest the Lee business in 2026. As a result, the Company has reported the results of the Lee business in discontinued operations. The Company expects the divestiture of Lee to be immaterial to earnings per share over a 12-to-18-month period. The earnings contribution of the Lee business will be offset through strong capital deployment and mitigation of overhead and other expenses through restructuring and other mitigating cost actions to offset the costs that were previously allocated to the Lee business. First Quarter 2026 Income Statement from Continuing Operations Review Revenue from continuing operations was $613 million and increased 45 percent compared to prior year, including the contribution from the acquisition of Helly Hansen completed in the second quarter of 2025. Wrangler brand global revenue was $436 million and increased 4 percent compared to prior year. Wrangler U.S. revenue increased 1 percent, driven by a 6 percent increase in direct-to-consumer and a 1 percent increase in wholesale. Wrangler international revenue increased 20 percent compared to prior year, driven by a 38 percent increase in direct-to-consumer and a 17 percent increase in wholesale. Helly Hansen global revenue was $176 million. Sport and Workwear revenue was $120 million and $45 million, respectively. Musto brand revenue was $11 million. Gross margin from continuing operations on a reported basis increased 810 basis points to 53.7 percent. On an adjusted basis, gross margin from continuing operations increased 470 basis points to 50.6 percent compared to prior year, driven by the impact of Helly Hansen, the benefits of Project Jeanius and channel mix, partially offset by increased product costs, net of pricing actions. Adjusted gross margin includes $1 million of overhead and other expenses that were previously allocated to the Lee business. Selling, General & Administrative (SG&A) expenses from continuing operations were $239 million, or 39.0 percent of revenue on a reported basis. On an adjusted basis, SG&A expenses from continuing operations were $224 million, or 36.5 percent of revenue. The increase in SG&A expenses was driven by the impact of Helly Hansen, higher demand creation and direct-to-consumer investments and volume-based variable expenses, partially offset by the benefits from Project Jeanius. Adjusted SG&A expenses include $7 million of overhead and other expenses that were previously allocated to the Lee business. Operating income from continuing operations was $90 million on a reported basis. On an adjusted basis, operating income from continuing operations was $87 million and increased 60 percent compared to prior year. Operating income includes $8 million of overhead and other expenses that were previously allocated to the Lee business. Earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations was $1.09 on a reported basis. On an adjusted basis, EPS from continuing operations was $1.06, including a $0.26 contribution from Helly Hansen. Adjusted EPS includes $0.11 of overhead and other expenses that were previously allocated to the Lee business. Balance Sheet and Liquidity from Continuing Operations Review The Company ended the first quarter with $56 million in cash and cash equivalents, and $1.14 billion in long-term debt. At the end of the first quarter, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility and $493 million available for borrowing against this facility. Inventory at the end of the first quarter was $464 million, including the contribution of inventory from Helly Hansen. As previously announced, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, payable on June 18, 2026, to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 8, 2026. The Company returned $54 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases during the first quarter, including the repurchase of $25 million of common stock. Share Repurchase Authorization The Company’s Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program of up to $750 million of the Company’s common stock. The new repurchase authorization replaces the existing share repurchase program announced on December 11, 2023. "Our $750 million share repurchase program reflects the confidence we have in our business moving forward and the opportunities to generate significant value from our sharper brand portfolio," said Scott Baxter, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Kontoor Brands. "We remain committed to returning cash to shareholders while maintaining an unrelenting focus on delivering superior total shareholder return over time." The timing and amount of repurchases will be determined by the Company based on its evaluation of market conditions, continued compliance with its debt covenants and other factors. The program does not have an expiration date but may be suspended, modified or terminated at any time without prior notice. The Company expects to fund repurchases through cash flow generated from operations and expected proceeds from the planned divestiture of the Lee brand. Tariff Update Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ("IEEPA") does not authorize tariffs, the U.S. Court of International Trade has ordered U.S. Customs and Border Protection to refund IEEPA duties. The Company believes it is probable that it will recover the IEEPA tariffs previously paid and therefore has recognized a net receivable of $54 million as of March 2026. As a result, during the first quarter of 2026, the Company reduced cost of goods sold by approximately $49 million on a reported basis, representing the reversal of expense for IEEPA tariffs on inventory previously sold. Of the $49 million reduction in cost of goods sold, $29 million was related to tariffs expensed in 2025. On an adjusted basis, the Company has excluded the impact of the reversal of expense for 2025-related IEEPA tariffs on first quarter results and in the updated 2026 outlook. The Company’s outlook assumes a 15 percent reciprocal tariff rate on applicable inventory receipts for the remainder of 2026. For applicable inventory receipts effective February 24, 2026, a 10 percent reciprocal tariff rate applied, which remains in effect. Applicable inventory owned prior to February 24, 2026 is exempt from reciprocal tariffs. The Company’s updated outlook includes the impact from increases in tariffs on all countries from which the Company sources product, with the exception of Mexico. Based on currently available information, the Company’s imports from Mexico to the U.S. remain exempt under USMCA. The Company is evaluating the impact of the United States and Bangladesh reciprocal trade framework. The Company utilizes U.S. grown cotton in more than 80 percent of products sourced from Bangladesh which may qualify for a duty exemption under the trade framework. Updated Full Year 2026 Outlook from Continuing Operations The Company’s updated full year 2026 outlook reflects the impact of the planned divestiture of the Lee business, which is now reported in discontinued operations. Adjusted EPS from continuing operations is expected to be in the range of $5.15 to $5.25, including the impact of approximately $0.55 of unmitigated overhead and other expenses that were previously allocated to the Lee business. The Company expects the divestiture of Lee to be immaterial to earnings per share over a 12-to-18-month period. The earnings contribution of the Lee business will be offset through strong capital deployment and mitigation of overhead and other expenses, through restructuring and other mitigating cost actions to offset the costs that were previously allocated to the Lee business. The Company’s full year 2026 outlook from continuing operations also includes the following assumptions. Webcast Information Kontoor Brands will host its first quarter 2026 conference call beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time today, May 7, 2026. The conference will be broadcast live via the Internet, accessible at https://www.kontoorbrands.com/investors . For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, an archived version will be available at the same location. Non-GAAP Financial Measures This release refers to "adjusted", "organic" and "constant currency" amounts from 2026 and 2025, which are further described in the sections below. All per share amounts are presented on a diluted basis. Amounts as presented herein may not recalculate due to the use of unrounded numbers. Adjusted Amounts - This release refers to "adjusted" amounts. Adjustments during 2026 represent (i) business optimization activities associated with the continued execution of Project Jeanius, (ii) acquisition and integration-related costs associated with the Helly Hansen acquisition and, (iii) excluding the impact of the reversal of expense for 2025 IEEPA-related tariffs on first quarter of 2026 results. Adjustments during 2025 represent (i) restructuring and transformation costs related to business optimization activities associated with Project Jeanius, (ii) actions to streamline and transfer select production within our internal manufacturing network and, (iii) acquisition and integration-related costs associated with the Helly Hansen acquisition. Additional information regarding adjusted amounts is provided in notes to the supplemental financial information included with this release. Organic Amounts - This release refers to "organic" amounts, which represent operating results excluding contributions from the Helly Hansen ® and Musto ® brands. Constant Currency - This release refers to "reported" amounts in accordance with GAAP, which include translation and transactional impacts from changes in foreign currency exchange rates. This release also refers to "constant currency" amounts, which exclude the translation impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP measures are presented in the supplemental financial information included with this release that identifies and quantifies all reconciling adjustments and provides management's view of why this non-GAAP information is useful to investors. While management believes that these non-GAAP measures are useful in evaluating the business, this information should be viewed in addition to, and not as an alternate for, reported results under GAAP. The non-GAAP measures used by the Company in this release may be different from similarly titled measures used by other companies. For forward-looking non-GAAP measures included in this filing, the Company does not provide a reconciliation to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because the information needed to reconcile these measures is unavailable due to the inherent difficulty of forecasting the timing and/or amount of various items that have not yet occurred and have been excluded from adjusted measures. Additionally, estimating such GAAP measures and providing a meaningful reconciliation consistent with the Company’s accounting policies for future periods requires a level of precision that is unavailable for these future periods and cannot be accomplished without unreasonable effort. About Kontoor Brands Kontoor Brands, Inc. (NYSE: KTB) is a portfolio of three of the world’s most iconic lifestyle, outdoor and workwear brands: Wrangler ® , Lee ® and Helly Hansen ® . Kontoor Brands is a purpose-led organization focused on leveraging its global platform, strategic sourcing model and best-in-class supply chain to drive brand growth and deliver long-term value for its stakeholders. For more information about Kontoor Brands, please visit www.KontoorBrands.com . Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements included in this release and attachments are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are made based on our expectations and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve several risks and uncertainties. You can identify these statements by the fact that they use words such as "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "should," "may" and other words and terms of similar meaning or use of future dates. We caution that forward-looking statements are not guarantees and that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. We do not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements or publicly announce the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements, other than as required under the U.S. federal securities laws. Potential risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results of operations or financial condition of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to: macroeconomic conditions, including inconsistent consumer demand despite recent declines in interest rates, fluctuating foreign currency exchange rates, moderating inflation and global supply chain issues, as well as the ongoing impact of tariffs and uncertainty regarding the outcome of trade negotiations, import/export regulations and tariff policies, continue to adversely impact global economic conditions and have had, and may continue to have, a negative impact on the Company's business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows (including future uncertain impacts); the level of consumer demand for apparel; reliance on a small number of large customers; potential difficulty in integrating Helly Hansen and/or in achieving the expected growth, cost savings and/or synergies from the acquisition; potential risks and uncertainties in completing the sale of the Lee business, if at all, and potential risks in segregating and disposing of the Lee business and the Company’s ability to mitigate any stranded costs from the potential disposition; supply chain and shipping disruptions, which could continue to result in shipping delays, an increase in transportation costs and increased product costs or lost sales; intense industry competition; the ability to accurately forecast demand for products; the Company’s ability to gauge consumer preferences and product trends, and to respond to constantly changing markets; the Company’s ability to maintain the images of its brands; disruption and volatility in the global capital and credit markets and its impact on the Company's ability to obtain short-term or long-term financing on favorable terms; the Company maintaining satisfactory credit ratings; restrictions on the Company’s business relating to its debt obligations; increasing pressure on margins; e-commerce operations through the Company’s direct-to-consumer business; the financial difficulty experienced by the retail industry; possible goodwill and other asset impairment; the ability to implement the Company’s business strategy; the stability of manufacturing facilities and foreign suppliers; fluctuations in wage rates and the price, availability and quality of raw materials and contracted products, including as a result of tariffs and reciprocal tariffs; the reliance on a limited number of suppliers for raw material sourcing and the ability to obtain raw materials on a timely basis or in sufficient quantity or quality; disruption to distribution systems; seasonality; unseasonal or severe weather conditions; potential challenges with the Company’s implementation of Project Jeanius; the Company's and its vendors’ ability to maintain the strength and security of information technology systems; the risk that facilities and systems and those of third-party service providers may be vulnerable to and unable to anticipate or detect data security breaches and data or financial loss or maintain operational performance; ability to properly collect, use, manage and secure consumer and employee data; legal, regulatory, political and economic risks; the impact of climate change and related legislative and regulatory responses; stakeholder response to sustainability issues, including those related to climate change; compliance with anti-bribery, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws by the Company and third-party suppliers and manufacturers; changes in tax laws and liabilities; the costs of compliance with or the violation of national, state and local laws and regulations for environmental, consumer protection, employment, privacy, safety and other matters; continuity of members of management; labor relations; the ability to protect trademarks and other intellectual property rights; the ability of the Company’s licensees to generate expected sales and maintain the value of the Company’s brands; volatility in the price and trading volume of the Company’s common stock; anti-takeover provisions in the Company’s organizational documents; and fluctuations in the amount and frequency of our share repurchases. Many of the foregoing risks and uncertainties will be exacerbated by any worsening of the global business and economic environment. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results are described in detail in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other reports and statements that the Company files with the SEC. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260507061035/en/ Contacts Investors: Michael Karapetian, (336) 332-4263 Vice President, Global Brand & Operations Finance and Corporate Investor Relations [email protected] or Media: Julia Burge, (336) 332-5122 Senior Director, Corporate Communications [email protected]

View stock analysis, news, and events for Kontoor Brands, Inc.