Portland-based Columbia Sportswear quietly put up a solid first quarter, topping Wall Street’s targets as overseas shoppers did the heavy lifting. For the quarter ended March 31, the company reported $779.0 million in net sales and $0.65 in diluted earnings per share, with strong international demand, especially in Europe, more than offsetting a roughly 10 percent slide in U.S. revenue. Columbia also bought back about $150 million of its own stock and inched its full-year profit outlook higher.
In a press release, Columbia said net income for the period was $34.3 million and diluted EPS was $0.65 on net sales of $779.0 million. The company also disclosed it repurchased 2,498,685 shares for an aggregate $150.0 million and approved a quarterly dividend of $0.30. Full details are available at Businesswire.
Analysts had been bracing for something weaker. Earlier expectations were for roughly $0.35 a share and about $756 million in revenue, according to MarketBeat. The upside surprise left Columbia comfortably ahead of consensus and highlighted how international strength is effectively covering for domestic softness.
Europe Powers The Quarter
Europe, the Middle East and Africa delivered $145.3 million in net sales, a reported 35 percent increase that easily outpaced the roughly 10 percent decline in U.S. sales, the company’s release shows. Management credited the EMEA surge to earlier spring wholesale shipments and solid demand for winter products, which collectively helped offset the slower pace of U.S. orders.
Tariffs and Geopolitics Cloud Outlook
Executives cautioned that U.S. tariff pressure and uncertainty tied to the conflict in the Middle East keep the operating environment “highly dynamic,” and said mitigation efforts, including targeted price increases, have helped protect margins so far. Investing.com also noted that Columbia raised its full-year EPS forecast to a range of $3.55 to $4.00, while dialing back near-term visibility for the second quarter.
Portland Takeaway
For Portland, where Columbia is headquartered, the quarter is a reminder that the company’s global reach matters: strong EMEA results can still fund buybacks and dividends even when U.S. wholesale is soft. The Oregonian framed the numbers in a local context, while market feeds showed only modest after-hours stock movement as investors weighed the earnings beat against the lingering tariff and geopolitical overhang, per MarketBeat.
