Profit forecast increased: record profit for Adidas

Adidas is pleased with its shareholders and investors today - because the sporting goods group from Herzogenaurach is looking more confidently than before at the current 2026 financial year. Specifically, according to preliminary data, the Swiss have increased their profit forecast by 200 million euros to 2.5 billion euros. The group had previously spent a target of around 2.3 billion euros.

In the third quarter, sales rose by nine percent to 7.25 billion euros; adjusted for currency effects, the increase was seven percent. The operating result soared by 37 percent to 1.01 billion euros - the highest quarterly profit in the company's history, the company said on Tuesday evening after the stock market closed.

CEO Björn Gulden spoke of a “great quarter”. The company is successfully counteracting the weak industry economy because its shoes and clothing are in demand.

The group benefited from the refund of US import duties of around 200 million euros, which a court had declared inadmissible. Another 100 million euros resulted from the fact that Adidas was able to sell its goods with fewer discounts than expected. This more than compensated for negative exchange rate developments. To achieve this, around 100 million euros more will be invested in the fourth quarter than planned, thereby bringing forward expenditure on IT infrastructure or logistics, for example, which should be reflected in higher profits in the future.

Outgoing CFO Harm Ohlmeyer had already announced in August that a refund was expected from the USA. At that time, as a precaution, she did not include Adidas in the forecast.

Operationally, Adidas has obviously succeeded in meeting customer tastes - always one of the biggest challenges for any sporting goods company. The group can rely on its classics from the 70s and 80s, which the company is reissuing in many versions. Adidas is also relying on a regionalization strategy that has attracted new customers, especially in China.

Adidas was also ahead of its US arch-rival Nike. Because Nike currently has to sell its goods at discounts - which is not an issue for Adidas. This could bring the Franconian group a further advantage of around 100 million, so that they are more on the way to achieving an operating result of 2.6 billion euros. Nike, on the other hand, expects a decline in sales of up to nine percent for its 2026/27 financial year (end of May). In China, sales recently plummeted.

The Canadian bank RBC has left Adidas' rating at "Outperform" with a price target of 200 euros. The positive surprise in the operating result was decent, wrote Piral Dadhania on Tuesday evening after the preliminary figures and the forecast increase.

The US bank JPMorgan has left the Adidas share rating at “Overweight” with a price target of 210 euros. Given the recent weak industry sentiment and lower expectations, Herzogenaurach shares are likely to react strongly to the preliminary figures and the forecast increase, wrote Wendy Liu on Tuesday evening. In next week's full report, investors will likely focus on the strength and predictability of the athletic footwear business heading into the fourth quarter and 2027. Adidas wants to publish its complete figures on October 29th.