Johnson Outdoors Reports Fiscal First Quarter Results
Rhea-AI Summary
Johnson Outdoors (Nasdaq: JOUT) reported fiscal Q1 results for the period ending January 2, 2026. Net sales rose 31% to $140.9M, driven by Fishing (+36%), Camping & Watercraft (+12%) and Diving (+15%). Gross margin improved to 36.6% from 29.9%. Operating loss narrowed to $2.9M; net loss was $3.3M or $(0.33) per diluted share. Cash and short-term investments totaled $130.7M. Inventories declined to $183.9M and the board approved a quarterly cash dividend payable January 22, 2026.
Positive
- Net sales +31% to $140.9M in fiscal Q1
- Fishing revenue +36% to $112.37M from new products and inventory recovery
- Gross margin improved to 36.6% from 29.9%
- Cash and short-term investments of $130.7M at quarter end
Negative
- Net loss of $3.3M, or $(0.33) per diluted share
- Operating expenses increased $2.1M to $54.5M
- Shareholders' equity declined to $413.5M from $440.3M (≈6% decrease)
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
JOUT slipped 2.3% while momentum-screened peers like ESCA (+8.56%) and XPOF (+4.90%) moved higher, pointing to a stock-specific reaction rather than a broad Leisure or sporting-goods move.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 29 | Annual meeting notice | Neutral | +1.1% | Announcement of fully virtual annual shareholders meeting and key logistics. |
| Jan 27 | Earnings date set | Neutral | -0.3% | Scheduling of fiscal 2026 Q1 results release and conference call details. |
| Dec 12 | Full-year results | Negative | -2.2% | Fiscal 2025 results with flat revenue, operating loss and higher net loss. |
| Dec 05 | Dividend declaration | Positive | +0.0% | Quarterly cash dividend announcement on Class A and Class B shares. |
| Nov 25 | Earnings date set | Neutral | -0.1% | Notice of upcoming fiscal 2025 Q4 results release and webcast. |
Recent price moves around company communications have been modest, with slightly negative reactions to full-year results and marginally positive responses to dividend and meeting announcements.
Over the past few months, Johnson Outdoors has mainly issued routine updates: earnings release scheduling on Nov 25, 2025 and Jan 27, 2026, a dividend declaration on Dec 5, 2025, fiscal 2025 results on Dec 12, 2025, and the 2026 annual meeting notice on Jan 29, 2026. The stock’s reactions were muted, with a -2.21% move on fiscal 2025 results and near-flat moves on other items. Today’s detailed Q1 improvement fits into this cadence of fundamental updates.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights a stronger start to fiscal 2026, with Q1 net sales up 31% to $140.9M, gross margin improving to 36.6%, and operating loss reduced to $2.9M. Segment growth was broad-based across Fishing, Camping & Watercraft, and Diving. The company still posted a net loss of $3.3M, so ongoing profitability and inventory trends remain key watch points, alongside future updates building on the fiscal 2025 results disclosed on Dec 12, 2025.
Key Terms
forward-looking statements regulatory
Form 10-K regulatory
Risk Factors regulatory
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
RACINE, Wis., Feb. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Johnson Outdoors Inc. (Nasdaq:JOUT), a leading global innovator of outdoor recreation equipment and technology, today announced operating results for the Company’s first fiscal quarter ending January 2, 2026.
“We’re pleased with the positive start to our fiscal year. We saw markets stabilize and we continue to get solid reception to our innovation. Our critical investments in new products and digital commerce, combined with our ongoing hard work on improving profitability, are essential to position us for success,” said Helen Johnson-Leipold, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
FIRST QUARTER RESULTS
During the first fiscal quarter, the Company is ramping up for the primary selling period of its warm-weather outdoor recreation products across its second and third fiscal quarters. Total Company net sales in the first quarter increased 31 percent to
- Fishing revenue increased 36 percent mainly due to success of new product launches and improved trade inventory levels
- Camping & Watercraft Recreation sales were up 12 percent primarily due to new product success and growth in the e-commerce channel
- Diving sales rose 15 percent, driven by improvement across global markets
Total Company operating loss was
Loss before income taxes was
OTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The Company reported cash and short-term investments of
“We continue to benefit from our ongoing efforts to improve operational efficiency, enabling us to improve our margins and continue to reduce our inventory levels,” said David W. Johnson, Chief Financial Officer. “Looking forward, we will continue to strategically manage costs while protecting investments to strengthen the business.”
WEBCAST
The Company will host a conference call and audio web cast at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, February 6, 2026. A live listen-only web cast of the conference call may be accessed at Johnson Outdoors’ home page or here. A replay of the call will be available for 30 days on the Internet.
About Johnson Outdoors Inc.
JOHNSON OUTDOORS is a leading global innovator of outdoor recreation equipment and technologies that inspire more people to experience the awe of the great outdoors. The company designs, manufactures and markets a portfolio of winning, consumer-preferred brands across four categories: Watercraft Recreation, Fishing, Diving and Camping. Johnson Outdoors' iconic brands include: Old Town® canoes and kayaks; Carlisle® paddles; Minn Kota® trolling motors, shallow water anchors and battery chargers; Cannon® downriggers; Humminbird® marine electronics and charts; SCUBAPRO® dive equipment; and Jetboil® outdoor cooking systems.
Visit Johnson Outdoors at http://www.johnsonoutdoors.com
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain matters discussed in this press release are “forward-looking statements,” intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements other than statements of historical fact are considered forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "anticipate,'' "believe,'' "confident," "could,'' "expect,'' "intend,'' "may,'' "planned,'' "potential,'' "should,'' "will,'' "would'' or the negative of those terms or other words of similar meaning. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those currently anticipated. Factors that could affect actual results or outcomes include the matters described under the caption “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 3, 2025 which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 12, 2025, and the following: changes in economic conditions, consumer confidence levels and discretionary spending patterns in key markets; uncertainties stemming from political instability (and its impact on the economies in jurisdictions where the Company has operations), uncertainties stemming from changes in U.S. trade policies, tariffs, and the reaction of other countries to such changes; the global outbreaks of disease, which may affect market and economic conditions, and may have wide-ranging impacts on employees, customers and various aspects of our operations; the Company’s success in implementing its strategic plan, including its targeted sales growth platforms, innovation focus and its increasing digital presence; litigation costs related to actions of and disputes with third parties, including competitors; the Company’s continued success in its working capital management and cost-structure reductions; the Company’s success in integrating strategic acquisitions; the risk of future write-downs of goodwill or other long-lived assets; the ability of the Company’s customers to meet payment obligations; the impact of actions of the Company’s competitors with respect to product development or enhancement or the introduction of new products into the Company’s markets; movements in foreign currencies, interest rates or commodity costs; fluctuations in the prices of raw materials or the availability of raw materials or components used by the Company; any disruptions in the Company’s supply chain as a result of material fluctuations in the Company’s order volumes and requirements for raw materials and other components, or the demand for those same raw materials and components by third parties, necessary to manufacture and produce the Company’s products including related to shortages in procuring necessary raw materials and components to manufacture and produce such products; the success of the Company’s suppliers and customers and the impact of any consolidation in the industries of the Company’s suppliers and customers; the ability of the Company to deploy its capital successfully; unanticipated outcomes related to outsourcing certain manufacturing processes; unanticipated outcomes related to litigation matters; and adverse weather conditions. Shareholders, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included herein are only made as of the date of this filing. The Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
| JOHNSON OUTDOORS INC. | ||||||
| (thousands, except per share amounts) | ||||||
| THREE MONTHS ENDED | ||||||
| Operating results | January 2, 2026 | December 27, 2024 | ||||
| Net sales | $ | 140,935 | $ | 107,649 | ||
| Cost of sales | 89,325 | 75,466 | ||||
| Gross profit | 51,610 | 32,183 | ||||
| Operating expenses | 54,522 | 52,422 | ||||
| Operating loss: | (2,912 | ) | (20,239 | ) | ||
| Interest income, net | (1,263 | ) | (986 | ) | ||
| Other income, net | (394 | ) | (326 | ) | ||
| Loss before income taxes | (1,255 | ) | (18,927 | ) | ||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | 2,045 | (3,637 | ) | |||
| Net loss | $ | (3,300 | ) | $ | (15,290 | ) |
| Weighted average common shares outstanding - Dilutive | 10,341 | 10,270 | ||||
| Net loss per common share - Diluted | $ | (0.33 | ) | $ | (1.49 | ) |
| Segment Results | ||||||
| Net sales: | ||||||
| Fishing | $ | 112,370 | $ | 82,472 | ||
| Camping & Watercraft Recreation | 10,601 | 9,451 | ||||
| Diving | 17,974 | 15,684 | ||||
| Other / Eliminations | (10 | ) | 42 | |||
| Total | $ | 140,935 | $ | 107,649 | ||
| Operating profit (loss): | ||||||
| Fishing | $ | 7,520 | $ | (8,261 | ) | |
| Camping & Watercraft Recreation | (1,118 | ) | (646 | ) | ||
| Diving | (336 | ) | (908 | ) | ||
| Other / Eliminations | (8,978 | ) | (10,424 | ) | ||
| Total | $ | (2,912 | ) | $ | (20,239 | ) |
| Balance Sheet Information (End of Period) | ||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments | $ | 130,731 | $ | 101,617 | ||
| Accounts receivable, net | 85,108 | 68,297 | ||||
| Inventories, net | 183,940 | 201,606 | ||||
| Total current assets | 409,034 | 388,052 | ||||
| Total assets | 600,133 | 612,868 | ||||
| Total current liabilities | 108,195 | 91,661 | ||||
| Total liabilities | 186,584 | 172,584 | ||||
| Shareholders’ equity | 413,549 | 440,284 | ||||
| Johnson Outdoors Inc. | |
| David Johnson | Patricia Penman |
| Chief Financial Officer | Chief Marketing Officer |
| 262-631-6600 | 262-631-6600 |
FAQ
What were Johnson Outdoors (JOUT) fiscal Q1 2026 sales and how much did they change?
Did Johnson Outdoors (JOUT) report a profit in fiscal Q1 2026 and what were margins?
How much cash did Johnson Outdoors (JOUT) hold at the end of fiscal Q1 2026?
What drove the revenue increase in Johnson Outdoors (JOUT) fiscal Q1 2026?
Did Johnson Outdoors (JOUT) change its dividend in early 2026?
How did Johnson Outdoors (JOUT) manage inventories and working capital in Q1 2026?
