Feb 20 (Reuters) - Birkenstock ( BIRK ) maintained its

annual margin forecast even as its quarterly revenue beat Wall

Street expectations helped by robust holiday-driven demand for

its cork-based sandals, sending shares of the German footwear

maker down 5% before the bell.

Fresh styles such as its closed-toed clogs also helped the

company sell more products at full price in the U.S., its

biggest market, despite a competitive promotional environment

during the holiday shopping season.

"Birkenstock ( BIRK ) proved to be a high-demand gifting item and

must-have for our wholesale partners," said CEO Oliver Reichert.

Still, the company maintained its fiscal 2025 revenue growth

target of 15% to 17%, as well as its annual adjusted earnings

before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization margin

forecast of 30.8% to 31.3%.

Birkenstock ( BIRK ) has been expanding wholesale locations,

which resulted in a gross profit margin hit of 70 basis points

in the reported quarter.

It reported revenue of 361.7 million euros ($377.47 million)

in the quarter ended December 31, beating estimates of 356.2

million euros, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Its wholesale segment revenue jumped 30% to 182 million

euros, while direct sales to customers rose 11% to 178.5 million

euros.

($1 = 0.9582 euros)

(Reporting by Juveria Tabassum and Neil J Kanatt in Bengaluru

and Helen Reid in London; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)