Kontoor Brands, Inc. (NYSE:KTB) Boosts Dividend And Shows Modest Near-Term Upside

Kontoor Brands enters December with cash-return momentum and technical momentum signals that favor a controlled rebound; fundamentals show revenue acceleration alongside elevated leverage and mixed margin dynamics.

Recent News

On October 24, 2025 the company’s board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, a 2% increase payable December 18, 2025 to holders of record December 8, 2025. On October 15, 2025 a market report noted rising relative strength ratings and described a technical breakout past a pattern entry, with improved recent revenue and earnings trends cited ahead of the company’s November reporting cadence.

Technical Analysis

Directional indicators (ADX / DI+ / DI-): ADX at 17.69 indicates no strong trend, limiting conviction in sustained directional moves; however DI+ at 21.88 shows an increasing bias while DI- at 23.38 trends downward, creating a directional tilt that favors upside momentum versus downside pressure. Practically, directional readings imply bullish intent but without forceful trend strength.

MACD and momentum crossover: MACD at -0.85 sits above the MACD signal line at -1.66, and MACD shows an increasing trajectory; that crossover constitutes a bullish momentum signal and supports the case for further near-term upside momentum, especially while broader trend strength remains muted.

MRO (Momentum/Regression Oscillator): MRO at -24.32 registers negative, indicating the market price sits below the model target and therefore carries potential to move higher; the MRO shows a dip-and-reversal pattern, reinforcing upward reversion pressure toward intrinsic valuation levels.

RSI and price action vs averages: RSI at 49.77 and rising signals neutral-to-mild bullish momentum without overbought conditions. Price at $78.25 trades above the 200-day average of $69.61 and the 12-day EMA ($74.09, increasing), while sitting near the upper Bollinger band range (upper 1x at $75.69 and upper 2x at $78.86), suggesting recent strength with limited immediate headroom before encountering short-term resistance.

Support and volatility context: Super trend support at $70.55 and Ichimoku baseline levels near $77.78 provide visible support zones; 42- and 52-week betas (1.05, 1.26) indicate above-market sensitivity, so price swings may amplify on macro or sector moves. Low ADX cautions that breakouts may remain choppy without follow-through.

 


Fundamental Analysis

Top-line and earnings: Total revenue stands at $853,215,000 with revenue growth reported at 29.62%; a separate year-over-year revenue growth figure lists 183.99% and should be noted as an available YoY metric. Forward revenue projects at $443,686,900. Reported EPS came in at $1.44 versus an estimate of $1.40, producing an EPS surprise of 2.86%.

Profitability and margins: EBIT equals $60,292,000 and EBIT margin measures 7.07%, below the industry peer mean of 12.797% and slightly below the industry peer median of 7.91%. Operating margin at 7.73% declined QoQ by 35.24% and YoY by 47.14%, indicating margin compression despite top-line growth. Gross margin sits at 41.275% and trended down QoQ and YoY by 10.87% and 7.64% respectively.

Cash flow and capital allocation: Free cash flow reached $54,902,000, with a free cash flow yield of 1.26%, above the industry peer mean free cash flow yield of 0.21%. Operating cash flow totaled $64,146,000 while capital expenditures amounted to $9,244,000. Dividend payout ratio equals 78.23% with dividend coverage at 1.28 and the company recently raised the quarterly payout to $0.53, supporting a continuing cash-return posture.

Balance sheet and leverage: Total debt stands at $1,500,437,000 with net debt of $1,259,689,000. Debt-to-equity measures 2.833 and debt-to-assets equals 0.524, both materially above the industry peer mean levels; debt-to-EBITDA measures 20.01, indicating elevated leverage relative to earnings. Interest coverage equals 3.18 but declined QoQ and YoY, reflecting tighter headroom as interest expense rose.

Efficiency and returns: Asset turnover sits at 0.3058, roughly in line with the industry peer mean of 0.3098. Return on equity measures 6.976%, slightly above the industry peer mean of 6.574% and the industry peer median of 5.398%; return on assets at 1.324% falls below the industry peer mean. Working capital and cash conversion cycle lengthen remain notable: cash conversion cycle at 143.78 days exceeds the industry peer mean of 105.11 days, driven by inventory days outstanding of 187.25.

Valuation summary: WMDST values the stock as under-valued. Price multiples show P/E at 54.38 with forward P/E at 53.37, and price-to-book at 8.22 sits above the industry peer mean of 6.8806 and slightly above the peer median of 7.9225. Enterprise multiple measures 76.95, near the peer mean. Free cash flow yield above peer mean and the recent dividend increase support the under-valued designation despite elevated leverage and compressed margins.

MOST-RECENT QUARTERLY REPORT
REPORT PERIOD ENDING: 2025-09-30
REPORT DATE: 2025-11-03
NEXT REPORT DATE: 2026-02-02
CASH FLOW  Begin Period Cash Flow 107.5 M
 Operating Cash Flow 64.1 M
 Capital Expenditures -9.24 M
 Change In Working Capital 21.8 M
 Dividends Paid -28.90 M
 Cash Flow Delta -25.05 M
 End Period Cash Flow 82.4 M
 
INCOME STATEMENT REVENUE
 Total Revenue 853.2 M
 Forward Revenue 443.7 M
COSTS
 Cost Of Revenue 501.1 M
 Depreciation 14.7 M
 Depreciation and Amortization 14.7 M
 Research and Development
 Total Operating Expenses 787.3 M
PROFITABILITY
 Gross Profit 352.2 M
 EBITDA 75.0 M
 EBIT 60.3 M
 Operating Income 65.9 M
 Interest Income 349.0 K
 Interest Expense 19.0 M
 Net Interest Income -18.62 M
 Income Before Tax 41.3 M
 Tax Provision 6.0 M
 Tax Rate 14.545 %
 Net Income 36.9 M
 Net Income From Continuing Operations 36.9 M
EARNINGS
 EPS Estimate 1.40
 EPS Actual 1.44
 EPS Difference 0.04
 EPS Surprise 2.857 %
 Forward EPS 1.38
 
BALANCE SHEET ASSETS
 Total Assets 2.9 B
 Intangible Assets 973.2 M
 Net Tangible Assets -443.58 M
 Total Current Assets 1.3 B
 Cash and Short-Term Investments 82.4 M
 Cash 82.4 M
 Net Receivables 366.0 M
 Inventory 765.0 M
 Long-Term Investments 267.0 M
LIABILITIES
 Accounts Payable 348.7 M
 Short-Term Debt
 Total Current Liabilities 702.3 M
 Net Debt 1.3 B
 Total Debt 1.5 B
 Total Liabilities 2.3 B
EQUITY
 Total Equity 529.6 M
 Retained Earnings 256.3 M
VALUATION & PER-SHARE METRICS EQUITY & PER-SHARE METRICS
 Book Value Per-Share 9.53
 Shares Outstanding 55.585 M
 Revenue Per-Share 15.35
VALUATION
 Market Capitalization 4.4 B
 Enterprise Value 5.8 B
 Enterprise Multiple 76.953
Enterprise Multiple QoQ 78.888 %
Enterprise Multiple YoY 111.736 %
Enterprise Multiple IPRWA high: 97.054
median: 84.66
KTB: 76.953
mean: 74.519
low: -16.472
 EV/R 6.764
CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 Asset To Equity 5.405
 Asset To Liability 1.227
 Debt To Capital 0.739
 Debt To Assets 0.524
Debt To Assets QoQ -6.785 %
Debt To Assets YoY 1957.793 %
Debt To Assets IPRWA high: 0.709
KTB: 0.524
mean: 0.317
median: 0.296
low: 0.038
 Debt To Equity 2.833
Debt To Equity QoQ -7.614 %
Debt To Equity YoY 2301.925 %
Debt To Equity IPRWA high: 6.666
KTB: 2.833
median: 0.821
mean: 0.776
low: 0.046
PRICE-BASED VALUATION
 Price To Book (P/B) 8.219
Price To Book QoQ 7.76 %
Price To Book YoY -29.025 %
Price To Book IPRWA high: 9.067
KTB: 8.219
median: 7.923
mean: 6.881
low: 0.332
 Price To Earnings (P/E) 54.383
Price To Earnings QoQ 2.021 %
Price To Earnings YoY -0.617 %
Price To Earnings IPRWA high: 147.441
mean: 108.349
median: 98.424
KTB: 54.383
low: -107.031
 PE/G Ratio 2.861
 Price To Sales (P/S) 5.102
Price To Sales QoQ -11.646 %
Price To Sales YoY -17.277 %
Price To Sales IPRWA high: 17.59
mean: 9.732
median: 9.104
KTB: 5.102
low: 0.27
FORWARD MULTIPLES
Forward P/E 53.372
Forward PE/G 2.808
Forward P/S 9.811
EFFICIENCY OPERATIONAL
 Operating Leverage -1.546
ASSET & SALES
 Asset Turnover Ratio 0.306
Asset Turnover Ratio QoQ 2.042 %
Asset Turnover Ratio YoY -25.506 %
Asset Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 0.375
median: 0.317
mean: 0.31
KTB: 0.306
low: 0.026
 Receivables Turnover 2.544
Receivables Turnover Ratio QoQ -0.86 %
Receivables Turnover Ratio YoY -17.348 %
Receivables Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 9.456
mean: 3.011
KTB: 2.544
median: 2.422
low: 0.693
 Inventory Turnover 0.691
Inventory Turnover Ratio QoQ 10.308 %
Inventory Turnover Ratio YoY -11.485 %
Inventory Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 0.869
median: 0.869
mean: 0.737
KTB: 0.691
low: 0.226
 Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) 35.867
CASH CYCLE
 Cash Conversion Cycle Days (CCC) 143.781
Cash Conversion Cycle Days QoQ 12.708 %
Cash Conversion Cycle Days YoY 37.407 %
Cash Conversion Cycle Days IPRWA high: 302.197
KTB: 143.781
mean: 105.11
median: 95.172
low: -55.897
CAPITAL DEPLOYMENT
 Cash Conversion Ratio 1.342
 CapEx To Revenue -0.011
 CapEx To Depreciation -0.629
 
CAPITAL, LIQUIDITY & COVERAGE CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 Total Capital 1.9 B
 Net Invested Capital 1.9 B
 Invested Capital 1.9 B
 Net Tangible Assets -443.58 M
 Net Working Capital 635.8 M
LIQUIDITY
 Cash Ratio 0.117
 Current Ratio 1.905
Current Ratio QoQ -12.495 %
Current Ratio YoY -23.646 %
Current Ratio IPRWA high: 3.928
median: 2.19
mean: 2.162
KTB: 1.905
low: 0.339
 Quick Ratio 0.816
Quick Ratio QoQ -14.074 %
Quick Ratio YoY -42.342 %
Quick Ratio IPRWA high: 2.318
median: 1.447
mean: 1.37
KTB: 0.816
low: 0.205
COVERAGE & LEVERAGE
 Debt To EBITDA 20.008
 Cost Of Debt 1.071 %
 Interest Coverage Ratio 3.178
Interest Coverage Ratio QoQ -61.46 %
Interest Coverage Ratio YoY -63.734 %
Interest Coverage Ratio IPRWA high: 47.355
KTB: 3.178
mean: -1.864
median: -13.836
low: -25.85
 Operating Cash Flow Ratio -0.009
TIMING / LIQUIDITY
 Days Payables Outstanding (DPO) 79.339
DIVIDENDS
 Dividend Coverage Ratio 1.278
 Dividend Payout Ratio 0.782
 Dividend Rate 0.52
 Dividend Yield 0.007
PERFORMANCE GROWTH
 Asset Growth Rate 5.33 %
 Revenue Growth 29.617 %
Revenue Growth QoQ 421.794 %
Revenue Growth YoY 183.987 %
Revenue Growth IPRWA high: 55.875 %
KTB: 29.617 %
mean: 8.793 %
median: 5.614 %
low: -33.951 %
 Earnings Growth 19.008 %
Earnings Growth QoQ 2181.873 %
Earnings Growth YoY -52.236 %
Earnings Growth IPRWA high: 335.294 %
median: 250.0 %
mean: 149.538 %
KTB: 19.008 %
low: -202.703 %
MARGINS
 Gross Margin 41.275 %
Gross Margin QoQ -10.872 %
Gross Margin YoY -7.642 %
Gross Margin IPRWA high: 76.294 %
mean: 50.979 %
median: 42.176 %
KTB: 41.275 %
low: 27.732 %
 EBIT Margin 7.066 %
EBIT Margin QoQ -58.17 %
EBIT Margin YoY -51.652 %
EBIT Margin IPRWA high: 23.963 %
mean: 12.797 %
median: 7.91 %
KTB: 7.066 %
low: -6.481 %
 Return On Sales (ROS) 7.726 %
Return On Sales QoQ -35.244 %
Return On Sales YoY -47.137 %
Return On Sales IPRWA high: 23.209 %
mean: 12.843 %
median: 7.91 %
KTB: 7.726 %
low: -6.481 %
CASH FLOW
 Free Cash Flow (FCF) 54.9 M
 Free Cash Flow Yield 1.261 %
Free Cash Flow Yield QoQ 122.399 %
Free Cash Flow Yield YoY -59.648 %
Free Cash Flow Yield IPRWA high: 10.581 %
KTB: 1.261 %
mean: 0.213 %
median: 0.014 %
low: -20.114 %
 Free Cash Growth 154.624 %
Free Cash Growth QoQ -318.952 %
Free Cash Growth YoY 278.368 %
Free Cash Growth IPRWA high: 221.465 %
KTB: 154.624 %
median: -95.868 %
mean: -102.945 %
low: -285.423 %
 Free Cash To Net Income 1.486
 Cash Flow Margin -0.719 %
 Cash Flow To Earnings -0.166
VALUE & RETURNS
 Economic Value Added 0.03
 Return On Assets (ROA) 1.324 %
Return On Assets QoQ -60.63 %
Return On Assets YoY -69.359 %
Return On Assets IPRWA high: 7.035 %
mean: 3.186 %
median: 1.967 %
KTB: 1.324 %
low: -10.003 %
 Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) 2.791 %
 Return On Equity (ROE) 0.07
Return On Equity QoQ -52.938 %
Return On Equity YoY -64.705 %
Return On Equity IPRWA high: 0.245
KTB: 0.07
mean: 0.066
median: 0.054
low: -0.216
 DuPont ROE 7.188 %
 Return On Invested Capital (ROIC) 2.753 %
Return On Invested Capital QoQ -38.713 %
Return On Invested Capital YoY -107.859 %
Return On Invested Capital IPRWA high: 15.734 %
mean: 5.327 %
median: 3.405 %
KTB: 2.753 %
low: -3.04 %

Six-Week Outlook

Expect range-biased upside with episodic volatility. Bullish internals—DI+ increasing, a MACD crossover above its signal line, MRO negative with a dip-and-reversal, and an RSI that is rising from neutral—favor mean-reversion toward valuation levels and support modest gains. Low ADX warns that directional moves may lack follow-through, so price likely oscillates between support near $70–$77 and resistance around the recent upper Bollinger band area. Elevated leverage and margin compression leave sensitivity to macro or input-cost shocks higher than average; any strong sector pulse should amplify the stock’s beta-driven moves. For swing timeframes, prioritize momentum confirmation rather than assuming sustained trend continuation.

About Kontoor Brands, Inc.

Kontoor Brands, Inc. (NYSE:KTB) develops and distributes lifestyle apparel with a primary focus on denim, apparel, footwear, and accessories. The company operates through two main segments: Wrangler and Lee, both renowned for their iconic denim offerings. Kontoor Brands also licenses and markets apparel under the Rock & Republic brand. The company reaches consumers through a diverse range of channels, including mass merchants, specialty stores, mid-tier and traditional department stores, as well as company-operated retail outlets and e-commerce platforms. With a global presence, Kontoor Brands serves markets across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific regions. Established in 2018, Kontoor Brands maintains its headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, leveraging its expertise in the apparel industry to deliver quality products that resonate with customers worldwide.



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