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V F Corp.: Q4 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 20 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 4 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Full-year revenue returned to growth: FY'26 revenue of $9,605.2 million rose 1%; excluding Dickies it rose 4%, or 1% in constant currency. Source
  • Q4 operating income ahead of guidance: Q4 reported operating income was $62M, against a loss of $73M a year earlier. Adjusted operating income excluding Dickies was $54M, against guidance of $10M to $30M. Source
  • Q4 revenue above guidance: Q4 revenue rose 1% reported, 8% excluding Dickies, or 3% in constant currency, against guidance of flat to +2% in constant currency. Source
  • Americas led regional growth: Americas revenue rose 2% reported and 10% excluding Dickies in constant currency, the region's highest growth since Q1'23. Full-year Americas revenue was flat. Source
  • The North Face grew 12%: The North Face revenue rose 12%, or 7% in constant currency, to $935.0 million, with double-digit growth in the Americas. Full-year revenue was $4,005.8 million, up 8%. Source
  • Tariff receivable aided gross margin: Management said adjusted gross margin outperformed guidance on higher-than-expected revenue and recognition of a tariff receivable, net of offsetting charges. Source
  • Net debt down $0.8B: Net debt fell $0.8B, or 16%, to $4.2B. Excluding lease liabilities, net debt was $2.7B, down 24% from a year earlier. Source
  • Leverage ratio down one full turn: The FYE'26 leverage ratio was 3.1x, down one full turn from 4.1x a year earlier and two full turns below the 5.1x at FYE'24. Source
  • Free cash flow of $405M: Full-year free cash flow was $405M, up over $90M from a year earlier. FY'26 figures exclude a $100M net impact of the pension termination. Source

“For the first time in three years, we returned to a full year of growth and expect to keep growing in FY'27. We also significantly expanded margins and reduced our leverage ratio by a full turn vs. LY.”

Bracken Darrell, President and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue growth (constant currency) SourceFY'27+1% to +2% C$ vs. LYNew
Operating margin (adjusted) SourceFY'27Approximately 8%New
Free cash flow SourceFY'27Flat to up vs. LY (FY'26: $405M)New
Leverage ratio SourceFYE'272.6x to 2.9xNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Annual guidance reinstated for FY'27, covering revenue, adjusted operating margin, free cash flow and leverage ratio. Source
  • Ended: The U.S. qualified pension plan termination was completed as of fiscal year-end 2026. Source

Full-year and fourth-quarter results

  • Full-year revenue returned to growth: FY'26 revenue of $9,605.2 million rose 1%; excluding Dickies it rose 4%, or 1% in constant currency. Source
  • Q4 operating income ahead of guidance: Q4 reported operating income was $62M, against a loss of $73M a year earlier. Adjusted operating income excluding Dickies was $54M, against guidance of $10M to $30M. Source
  • Q4 revenue above guidance: Q4 revenue rose 1% reported, 8% excluding Dickies, or 3% in constant currency, against guidance of flat to +2% in constant currency. Source
  • Full-year margins expanded: FY'26 gross margin was 54.8%, up 130 bps. Operating income was $577M, a 6.0% operating margin, up 280 bps. Adjusted operating margin excluding Dickies was 7.0%. Source
  • Adjusting items reduced quarterly earnings: Reported loss per share was $0.30 against $0.39 a year earlier. Adjusting items covering restructuring, the Dickies sale, pension settlement and excise tax, and impairment reduced earnings per share by $0.30. Source

Segments and regions

  • Americas led regional growth: Americas revenue rose 2% reported and 10% excluding Dickies in constant currency, the region's highest growth since Q1'23. Full-year Americas revenue was flat. Source
  • Outdoor segment profit increased: Outdoor revenue rose 11% to $1,339.8 million, or 5% in constant currency. Segment profit was $175.0 million, against $114.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Active segment loss narrowed: Active revenue fell 1% to $588.7 million, or 6% lower in constant currency. Segment loss narrowed to $14.9 million from $37.6 million. Source
  • EMEA and APAC trailed Americas: EMEA revenue rose 1%, or fell 5% excluding Dickies in constant currency. APAC was flat, or rose 1% excluding Dickies in constant currency. Source

“I'm excited about the momentum we are building.”

Bracken Darrell, President and CEO

Brands and channels

  • The North Face grew 12%: The North Face revenue rose 12%, or 7% in constant currency, to $935.0 million, with double-digit growth in the Americas. Full-year revenue was $4,005.8 million, up 8%. Source
  • Vans down; Americas DTC grew: Vans revenue fell 1%, or 5% in constant currency, to $486.6 million. Management said Americas DTC returned to growth for the first time in over four years. Source
  • Timberland grew for sixth quarter: Timberland revenue rose 8%, or 2% in constant currency, to $404.8 million, the sixth consecutive quarter of growth. Americas revenue rose 6%. Source
  • Altra rose about 50%: Other brands fell 23% reported and rose 7% in constant currency excluding Dickies. Altra revenue rose about 50% on major franchise launches. Source
  • Direct-to-consumer grew, wholesale fell: DTC revenue rose 4% to $955.3 million. Wholesale, including royalties, fell 1% to $1,210.7 million; excluding Dickies it rose 3% in constant currency. Source

Margins and costs

  • Q4 gross margin up 310 bps: Q4 reported gross margin was 56.4%, up 310 bps. Adjusted gross margin excluding Dickies was 56.4%, up 240 bps. Source
  • Tariff receivable aided gross margin: Management said adjusted gross margin outperformed guidance on higher-than-expected revenue and recognition of a tariff receivable, net of offsetting charges. Source
  • Reinvent costs small in Q4: Reinvent transformation costs were about ($8) million in the quarter and $44 million for the year, mainly severance and consulting-firm costs. Source
  • Adjusted SG&A rate rose in quarter: Reported SG&A was 53.6% of revenue, down 130 bps. Adjusted SG&A excluding Dickies was 53.9%, up 70 bps, which management attributed to restructuring costs. Source
  • Transformation scorecard shows margin gain: The transformation scorecard shows +360 bps of adjusted gross margin expansion, including about 100 bps from the Dickies divestiture. Adjusted gross margin excluding Dickies was 55.2% for FY'26. Source

Capital, debt and cash

  • Net debt down $0.8B: Net debt fell $0.8B, or 16%, to $4.2B. Excluding lease liabilities, net debt was $2.7B, down 24% from a year earlier. Source
  • Leverage ratio down one full turn: The FYE'26 leverage ratio was 3.1x, down one full turn from 4.1x a year earlier and two full turns below the 5.1x at FYE'24. Source
  • Free cash flow of $405M: Full-year free cash flow was $405M, up over $90M from a year earlier. FY'26 figures exclude a $100M net impact of the pension termination. Source
  • Net inventories down 16%: Net inventories fell 16% from a year earlier, or 11% in constant currency excluding Dickies. Source
  • Debt prepaid and dividends paid: A €500M note due March 2026 was prepaid in February 2026. Cash dividends of $35M were paid during the quarter. Source

Transformation, portfolio and fiscal 2027 plan

  • Dickies sale completed in November: VF completed the sale of the Dickies brand business on November 12, 2025, after agreeing the sale in September 2025. Source
  • Final Dickies gain recorded: The final pre-tax gain on the Dickies sale was $127.2 million, after a reduction of $11.9 million for working-capital adjustments in the quarter. Source
  • Reinvent restructuring largely finished: Total Reinvent restructuring charges were $205.0 million. Substantially all restructuring actions were completed at the end of the first quarter of FY'26. Source
  • Growth expected at three brands: Management expects continued growth at The North Face, Timberland and Altra in FY'27, alongside expanding margins under reinstated annual guidance. Source
  • Faster go-to-market and marketing leverage: Management said it is doubling down on what is working, citing faster go-to-market driving outsized DTC growth and marketing spend delivering increasing leverage. Source

Coming up, as management said on 20 May 2026

  • Vans trends expected to improve: Management expects Vans trends to improve in the second half of FY'27 relative to the first half. Source
  • Consulting contract fees through June 2027: Fees under the Reinvent consulting contract could reach $146.0 million, with $75.0 million contingent on increases to VF’s stock price through June 2027. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
VF-operated stores Source1,080 as of March 2026 (1,127 as of March 2025)
Timberland full-price stores open in the Americas Source11

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Vans revenue is expected to decline in FY'27 at mid-single digits, with first-quarter revenue down at low-single digits. Source
  • Financial: Pension excise tax of about $25M was recorded in the quarter and for the year, related to the termination of the U.S. qualified plan. Source
  • External: Management normalized operating income for a tariff receivable and offsetting charges, including restructuring costs. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: Management said it remains on track for the medium-term targets of a 10% exit run rate operating margin and leverage of 2.5x or lower by FY'28. Source
  • Ahead: Management said Q4 operating income was ahead of the guidance it gave in the prior quarter. Source
  • Met: The prior-quarter release expected the plan termination to be completed by the end of fiscal 2026; the current release says it was completed as of fiscal year-end. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.