BALTIMORE, Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA, UA.C) today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2016.  Net revenues increased 22% in the third quarter of 2016 to $1.47 billion compared with net revenues of $1.20 billion in the prior year's period.  On a currency neutral basis, net revenues increased 23% compared with the prior year's period. Operating income increased 16% in the third quarter of 2016 to $199 million compared with $171 million in the prior year's period.  Net income increased 28% in the third quarter of 2016 to $128 million compared with $100 million in the prior year's period and diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of 2016 were $0.29 compared with $0.23 in the prior year's period.

During the third quarter, wholesale net revenues grew 19% year-over-year to $1.01 billion compared to $850 million in the prior year's period, while Direct-to-Consumer net revenues grew 29% year-over-year to $408 million compared to $316 million in the prior year's period. North America net revenues for the third quarter grew 16% year-over-year.  International net revenues, which represented 15% of total net revenues for the third quarter, grew 74% year-over-year, or 80% on a currency neutral basis.  

Within product categories, apparel net revenues increased 18% to $1.02 billion compared with $866 million in the same period of the prior year, led by growth in men's training, women's training, golf and team sports.  Footwear net revenues increased 42% to $279 million from $196 million in the prior year's period, driven by strong growth in running and basketball.  Accessories net revenues increased 18% to $122 million from $104 million in the prior year's period, driven primarily by growth in bags and headwear.

Kevin Plank, Chairman and CEO of Under Armour, Inc., stated, "Under Armour is a growth company and our ambitions for the Brand have never been higher. This marks our 26th consecutive quarter of 20+% revenue growth demonstrating the strength of the Under Armour Brand. From the Olympic Games in Rio to the launch of Under Armour Sportswear at New York Fashion Week, the Under Armour Brand continues to extend its reach to new consumers while remaining authentic and rooted in sport.  In the third quarter, our key strategies and investments to diversify our portfolio on a global scale were evident across categories, channels, and geographies. In running, we experienced strong global demand for our Slingride and Bandit 2 footwear styles, showcasing the continued expansion of our premium $100+ footwear offerings.  Within direct-to-consumer we launched three new e-commerce sites, bringing our total to 30 global sites, as we focus on expanding brand experience and premium offerings for consumers wherever they shop. And finally, we hosted our second tour through Asia with Stephen Curry, where the Brand continues to resonate and drive incredible momentum in new markets."

Gross margin for the third quarter of 2016 was 47.5% compared with 48.8% in the prior year's period, primarily reflecting negative impacts from the timing of liquidation, increased promotions, and foreign exchange rates, partially offset by continued product cost margin improvements. Selling, general and administrative expenses grew 20% to $499 million compared with $416 million in the prior year's period primarily driven by investments in Direct-to-Consumer and overall headcount to support the Company's strategic initiatives.

Balance Sheet Highlights
Cash and cash equivalents was $180 million at September 30, 2016 compared with $159 million at September 30, 2015. Inventory at September 30, 2016 increased 12% to $971 million compared with $867 million at September 30, 2015. Total debt increased 19% to $1.07 billion at September 30, 2016 compared with $902 million at September 30, 2015.

Updated Outlook
Based on current visibility, the Company continues to expect 2016 net revenues of approximately $4.925 billion, representing growth of 24% over 2015, and 2016 operating income of $440 million to $445 million, representing growth of 8% to 9% over 2015.  Below the operating line, the Company expects interest expense of approximately $30 million, an effective full year tax rate of approximately 35.5%, and fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding of approximately 446 million.

The Company will provide an update on its longer-term guidance on the third quarter earnings conference call.

Mr. Plank concluded, "Over the past twenty years we have established ourselves as a premium global brand with a track record of strong financial results. Looking back over the past nine months, it has never been more evident that we are at a pivotal moment in time, where the investments we are making today will fuel our growth and drive our industry leadership position for years to come. As a growth company with an expanding global footprint and businesses like footwear and women's each approaching a billion dollars this year, we have never been more focused on the long-term success of our Brand."

Conference Call and Webcast
The Company will provide additional commentary regarding its third quarter as well as its updated 2016 and longer-term outlook during its earnings conference call today, October 25, at 8:30 a.m. ET.  The call will be webcast live at http://investor.underarmour.com/events.cfm and will be archived and available for replay approximately three hours after the live event.  Additional supporting materials related to the call will also be available at http://investor.underarmour.com. The Company's financial results are also available online at http://investor.underarmour.com/results.cfm.

Non-GAAP Financial Information
The Company reports its financial results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP").  However, this press release refers to certain "currency neutral" financial information, which is a non-GAAP financial measure.  The Company provides a reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP.  See the end of this press release for this reconciliation.

Currency neutral financial information is calculated to exclude foreign exchange impact.  Management believes this information is useful to investors to facilitate a comparison of the Company's results of operations period-over-period.  This non-GAAP financial measure should not be considered in isolation and should be viewed in addition to, and not as an alternative for, the Company's reported results prepared in accordance with GAAP.  In addition, the Company's non-GAAP financial information may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

About Under Armour, Inc.
Under Armour (NYSE: UA, UA.C), the originator of performance footwear, apparel and equipment, revolutionized how athletes across the world dress.  Designed to make all athletes better, the brand's innovative products are sold worldwide to athletes at all levels.  The Under Armour Connected Fitness™ platform powers the world's largest digital health and fitness community through a suite of applications:  UA Record, MapMyFitness, Endomondo and MyFitnessPal.  The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland.  For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.uabiz.com.

Forward Looking Statements
Some of the statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts, such as statements regarding our future financial condition or results of operations, our prospects and strategies for future growth, the development and introduction of new products, the implementation of our marketing and branding strategies, and the future benefits and opportunities from acquisitions. In many cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "outlook,"  "potential" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology.  The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect our current views about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and changes in circumstances that may cause events or our actual activities or results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future events, results, actions, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: changes in general economic or market conditions that could affect consumer spending; the financial health of our customers; our ability to effectively manage our growth and a more complex global business; our ability to successfully manage or realize expected results from acquisitions and other significant investments or capital expenditures; our ability to effectively develop and launch new, innovative and updated products; our ability to accurately forecast consumer demand for our products and manage our inventory in response to changing demands; increased competition causing us to lose market share or reduce the prices of our products or to increase significantly our marketing efforts; fluctuations in the costs of our products; loss of key suppliers or manufacturers or failure of our suppliers or manufacturers to produce or deliver our products in a timely or cost-effective manner, including due to port disruptions; our ability to further expand our business globally and to drive brand awareness and consumer acceptance of our products in other countries; our ability to accurately anticipate and respond to seasonal or quarterly fluctuations in our operating results; risks related to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; our ability to effectively market and maintain a positive brand image; our ability to comply with trade and other regulations; the availability, integration and effective operation of information systems and other technology, as well as any potential interruption in such systems or technology; risks related to data security or privacy breaches; our ability to raise additional capital required to grow our business on terms acceptable to us; our potential exposure to litigation and other proceedings; and our ability to attract and retain the services of our senior management and key employees. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect our views and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

(Tables Follow)

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110127/NE37387LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/under-armour-reports-third-quarter-net-revenues-growth-of-22-reiterates-full-year-net-revenues-outlook-of-4925-billion-300350316.html

SOURCE Under Armour, Inc.