Steven Madden, Ltd. ( SHOO ) shares climbed on Wednesday as tariffs and wholesale weakness pressured third-quarter results, but upbeat guidance sparked investor optimism.

The apparel company reported third-quarter adjusted earnings per share of 43 cents, missing the analyst consensus estimate of 44 cents.

Quarterly sales of $667.875 million (+6.9% year over year) missed the Street view of $696.199 million.

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Wholesale revenue was $442.7 million in Q3 2025, down 10.7% year over year; down 19.0% excluding Kurt Geiger.

Wholesale footwear revenue fell 10.9%; down 16.7% excluding Kurt Geiger.

Wholesale accessories/apparel revenue fell 10.3%; down 22.5% excluding Kurt Geiger.

Direct-to-consumer revenue in the third quarter of 2025 was $221.5 million, a 76.6% increase compared to the third quarter of 2024.

Adjusted gross profit margin improved to 43.4%, up from 41.6% in the same period of 2024.

Adjusted income from operations totaled $46.3 million, down from $85.4 million in the same period of 2024. Operating margin was 6.9%, compared to 13.7% a year ago.

The company ended the quarter with 397 company-operated brick-and-mortar retail stores, including 99 outlets, as well as seven e-commerce websites and 133 company-operated concessions in international markets.

As of September 30, 2025, total debt outstanding was $293.8 million.

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled $108.9 million, resulting in net debt of $185 million.

The company approved a quarterly cash dividend of 21 cents per share. The dividend is payable on December 26.

Outlook

Steven Madden expects fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share of 41 cents to 46 cents, above the 29 cents analyst estimate.

The company sees sales of $739.5 million to $757.0 million, topping the $695.9 million Street view.

CEO Edward Rosenfeld credited tariff mitigation strategies and the Kurt Geiger acquisition for delivering “stronger financial results beginning in the fourth quarter.”

Price Action: SHOO shares are trading higher by 7.22% to $35.22 at last check Wednesday.

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