Adidas Achieves Record €1 Billion Quarterly Operating Profit, Upgrades 2026 Forecast
- Record Quarterly Profit and Revenue: Adidas achieved a record operating profit of €1.008 billion and record revenues of €7.252 billion in the third quarter of 2026, marking the first time its quarterly operating profit crossed the €1 billion threshold, driven by a 37% year-on-year jump in profit and a 9% revenue increase.
- Raised Full-Year Profit Guidance: Following its strong third-quarter performance, Adidas increased its full-year 2026 operating profit guidance to approximately €2.5 billion, up from the previous projection of €2.3 billion, despite plans to reinvest about €100 million into marketing and operational initiatives in the fourth quarter.
- CEO Highlights Core Sports Growth: Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden attributed the company's momentum to strong and profitable growth in core sports segments such as football, running, and training, while acknowledging ongoing industry-wide pressure from excess inventory and discounting in parts of the lifestyle footwear sector.
Adidas has released preliminary financial results for the third quarter of 2026, delivering record top- and bottom-line figures. The German sportswear giant saw operating profit jump 37% year-on-year to €1,008 million, crossing the €1 billion threshold in a single quarter for the first time. Revenues increased by 9% (7% in currency-neutral terms) to a record €7.252 billion, while gross margins advanced 2.5 percentage points to 54.3%. The margin expansion was driven by healthy full-price sales across major categories alongside an approximately €200 million refund on US tariffs.
Adidas Stock Still Down This Year
On the back of the third-quarter performance, Adidas raised its full-year 2026 operating profit guidance to approximately €2.5 billion, up from its previous projection of around €2.3 billion. While the tariff refund combined with underlying business improvements would place profit on course for €2.6 billion, the company plans to reinvest roughly €100 million into marketing and operational initiatives in the fourth quarter. The brand continues to project full-year currency-neutral revenue growth between 9% and 10%.
Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden commended the company's momentum, emphasizing strong and profitable growth across key sports segments, notably football, running, and training. While Gulden acknowledged that parts of the lifestyle footwear sector remain pressured by excess inventory and discounting across the industry, core performance sportswear continues to drive the brand's ongoing recovery. Adidas will publish its finalized third-quarter report on October 29, 2026.