Birkenstock stock strides to top rating by Wall Street

Wall Street brokerages largely initiated Birkenstock with their top ratings, pointing to a likely boost from the German luxury sandal maker’s recent investments to increase capacity, expansion into newer styles and brand loyalty.

Birkenstock’s shares dropped to as low as $35.83 in the days after listing on October 11 and has traded below the IPO price of $46 apiece.

Along with lacklustre share moves post-debut from chip designer Arm Holdings, grocery delivery app Instacart, and marketing automation firm Klaviyo, it doused hopes for a US IPO market resurgence. The company’s shares were up 1.3% at $41.69 in premarket trading on Monday, as many of the 22 underwriters, including JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, started coverage following the expiry of the mandated quiet period.

Citigroup was among the most bullish, with a target price of $52, a more than 26% jump from current levels. Jefferies closely followed with a target of $50.

“Given its historic brand and loyal customer base, we believe the company is well-positioned to drive strong top-line growth, maintain its attractive margin profile and expand its addressable market,” analysts at Jefferies said.

Telsey Advisory Group analysts said Birkenstock had further avenue to expand into footwear categories such as orthopaedics and professional, outdoor and active, children, home, and sneakers. At current levels, Birkenstock has a market value of about $7.7bn.

That compares to the $4.35bn L Catteron, the US private-equity firm backed by French billionaire Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods empire LVMH, paid to buy a majority stake in the shoemaker in 2021.

But not all analysts were optimistic. Morgan Stanley assigned a price target of $41 and an “equal-weight” rating, saying most catalysts were already priced in. Meanwhile, HSBC analysts expect recent investments in production to weigh on gross margin.

Reuters