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Shares for Wolverine Worldwide dropped nearly 17 percent by the closing bell on Wednesday following the company’s full year results and 2025 outlook.
The Rockford, Mich.-based footwear company said total revenue in the fourth quarter of 2024 was $494.7 million, down 6.1 percent from $526.7 million the same time last year. Ongoing total revenue in Q4 – which excludes the impact of sold assets like Keds, Sperry and the Wolverine leather business – was also $494.7 million, an increase of 3.0 percent from $480.5 million the prior year period.
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By brand, Merrell and the company’s namesake Wolverine label led the way in Q4 in terms of growth. At Merrell, net sales in the period were $163.4 million, a 1.0 percent increase from $161.8 million the prior year. At the Wolverine brand, net sales were $62.4 million, a 20.5 percent increase from $51.8 million just a year ago.
Turning to Saucony, sales declined 5.3 percent to $99.6 million in the third quarter from $105.1 million the same time last year. And at Sweaty Betty, net sales decline 5.9 percent in Q4 to $63.4 million from $67.3 million.
The company’s international revenue was down 5.4 percent to $252.7 million on a reported basis compared to the prior year, while its direct-to-consumer revenue was also down 18.8 percent on a reported basis to $151.7 million. Net debt at the end of the quarter was $496 million, down $246 million or approximately 33.1 percent compared to the prior year.
As for the full fiscal year 2024, Wolverine Worldwide said total revenue was $1.76 billion, down 21.8 percent from $2.24 billion from 2023. Ongoing total revenue in fiscal 2024 was $1.75 billion, a decrease of 12.1 percent from $1.99 billion the prior year.
By brand, Merrell reported net sales in 2024 of $598.4 million, down 11.5 percent from $675.8 million in fiscal 2023. At Saucony, sales declined 18.0 percent to $406.5 million from $495.8 million, while the Wolverine brand sales decreased 4.0 percent to $193.1 million from $201.2 million. Sweaty Betty net sales for the year declined tk percent to $198.9 million from $203.8 million.
The company’s international revenue was down 15.9 percent to $861.6 million on a reported basis compared to the prior year, while its direct-to-consumer revenue was also down 16.9 percent on a reported basis to $483.9 million.
“A year ago, we outlined an ambitious turnaround strategy composed of three chapters: stabilization, transformation, and inflection,” Chris Hufnagel, president and chief executive officer of Wolverine Worldwide, said in a statement. “We shared a plan to meaningfully strengthen the company’s balance sheet, expand profitability, and sequentially improve revenue trends – culminating with an inflection to growth in the final quarter of 2024. I’m pleased to report that we accomplished all of these objectives.”