Skip to content

Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Kathmandu share price soars: what drove the stock up?

We examine the likely catalyst behind Kathmandu’s share price run-up today, 7 February.

Kathmandu share price soars Source: Bloomberg

Kathmandu share price climbs on trading update

Outdoor retailer Kathmandu (ASX: KMD) has broken through 52-week highs today, with its stock trading up as much as 10% during the morning session to reach $3.320.

The likely catalyst behind today’s bullish price action, besides Australia’s perpetual love affair with black puffy jackets, was a trading update that guided for a rise in first-half earnings, as well as reporting an uptick in online sales and same-store sales growth during H1.

Do you own Kathmandu shares? You can hedge your downside risk by trading CFDs now.

Key facts at a glance

Commenting on this trading update, Kathmandu's Chief Executive Officer, Xavier Simonent said:

'The Christmas trading period has seen a further shift towards Black Friday and Boxing Day events. Low December market foot traffic between these two events, unusually hot weather, and bushfires in Australia, have combined to moderate first half results.'

From an earnings perspective, the retailer is now expecting a strong rise in underlying earnings (EBIT) during the first-half of FY20, with earnings anticipated to come in 40% stronger than they did during H1 FY19.

In FY19, KMD reported earnings (EBIT) of NZ$123 million.

In step with this, the company also noted that online sales have steadily increased, rising over 30% in the first-half of the 2020 fiscal year. The company attributes this online sales momentum to 'enhancements made to the online platform in the first-half of last year.'

Finally, KMD's same store sales grew modestly by 1.5% ‘for the 26 weeks ended 26 January,’ noted management.

The Rip Curl story

Looking at the performance of Rip Curl – the iconic surf lifestyle company which Kathmandu acquired for $350 million in late 2019, it was today reported that:

'Rip Curl total sales for the three months of Kathmandu's ownership are expected to be +2.7% above the comparable three month period last year,' the company noted.

Impressively, the company further said that 'branded stores in Australia traded up +8.3% on a comparable basis in the important summer trading period.'

Kathmandu’s Rip Curl acquisition was made at a 7.3x EV/ FY19 pro forma normalised EBITDA multiple.

The coronavirus impact reviewed

Looking at broader concerns, the outdoor retailer today provided an update on the current and potential impact of the coronavirus.

Pleasingly for shareholders, Kathmandu pointed out that it expected there would not be a 'material’ supply impact – in the short-term – with sufficient inventory levels currently on hand.

Moreover, it was flagged that the ‘group has mitigation plans in place if there is a prolonged disruption to our Chinese supplier.'

Practise trading Australian stocks with an IG demo account now

This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.

Act on share opportunities today

Go long or short on thousands of international stocks with spread bets and CFDs.

  • Get full exposure for a comparatively small deposit
  • Trade on spreads from just 0.1%
  • Get greater order book visibility with direct market access

See opportunity on a stock?

Try a risk-free trade in your demo account, and see whether you’re on to something.

  • Log in to your demo
  • Take your position
  • See whether your hunch pays off

See opportunity on a stock?

Don’t miss your chance – upgrade to a live account to take advantage.

  • Trade a huge range of popular stocks
  • Analyse and deal seamlessly on fast, intuitive charts
  • See and react to breaking news in-platform

See opportunity on a stock?

Don’t miss your chance. Log in to take advantage while conditions prevail.

Live prices on most popular markets

  • Equities
  • Indices
  • Forex
  • Commodities


Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All share prices are delayed by at least 15 minutes.

Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.

Plan your trading week

Get the week’s market-moving news sent directly to your inbox every Sunday. The Week Ahead gives you a full calendar of upcoming economic events, as well as commentary from our expert analysts on the key markets to watch.


For more info on how we might use your data, see our privacy notice and access policy and privacy webpage.

You might be interested in…

Find out what charges your trades could incur with our transparent fee structure.

Discover why so many clients choose us, and what makes us a world-leading provider of spread betting and CFDs.

Stay on top of upcoming market-moving events with our customisable economic calendar.