KTB · NYSE · CIK 1760965
Kontoor Brands, Inc.
Stage 1 · Must have
5/7
6 of 7 needed
Stage 2 · Refinement
82%
70% needed
Verdict
Nearly strong
Rules v1.0.0
Watchlist
Saved in this browserNo companies saved yet. Use “+ Add to watchlist” to keep a company here.
Stage 1 · Must have
5 of 7 passed · at least 6 needed
Debt / Equity
Financial debt compared with shareholders' equity
Fail2.02Threshold < 1FY 2025< 1
Debt / equity: 2.02 in 2025, at or above the limit of 1. Borrowing outweighs shareholders' equity, so interest and repayments weigh more heavily when business slows down.
S1.1 · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Gross margin vs. industry
Gross profit as a share of revenue, compared with peers
Pass45.2%Threshold >= 38.5% (median 37.5% + 1 pp)FY 2025>= 38.5% (median 37.5% + 1 pp)
Gross margin: 45.2% in 2025, against a median of 37.5% for Consumer Discretionary (288 companies). The company keeps more of each unit of revenue after direct costs than most of its peers. A margin like this often points to a strong brand or a cost advantage.
Compared with 288 companies in Consumer Discretionary. Peer median 37.5%.
S1.2 · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Operating cash flow vs. net income
Cash from operations over reported profit, last 3 years
Pass167.6%Threshold > 100% (3-year sums)FY 2025> 100% (3-year sums)
Operating cash flow vs. net income: 168% over 2023-2025. The business brings in more cash than the profit it reports, a sign that its earnings are backed by real money.
S1.3 · 3 annual reports used · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Free cash flow vs. net income
Cash left after investment over reported profit, last 3 years
Pass158.1%Threshold > 80% (3-year sums); 70-80% is closeFY 2025> 80% (3-year sums); 70-80% is close
Free cash flow vs. net income: 158% over 2023-2025. After paying for investment, the company still turns most of its profit into cash it can actually use.
S1.4 · 3 annual reports used · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
ROIC stable and rising
Return on invested capital over 5 years
Fail21.2%Threshold >= 28.1% (median 29.1% - 1 pp) and >= 14.7% (2020 + 0.5 pp)FY 2025>= 28.1% (median 29.1% - 1 pp) and >= 14.7% (2020 + 0.5 pp)
ROIC: 21.2% in 2025, against a median of 29.1% over 2020-2025 and 14.2% in 2020. The latest return is below its own recent median, so the company earns less on its capital than it usually does.
S1.5 · 6 annual reports used · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Return on equity vs. industry
Net income over shareholders' equity, compared with peers
Pass40.3%Threshold >= 12.1% (median 11.1% + 1 pp)FY 2025>= 12.1% (median 11.1% + 1 pp)
Return on equity: 40.3% in 2025, against a median of 11.1% for Consumer Discretionary (288 companies). The company earns more on its shareholders' capital than most of its peers. High returns are worth reading together with debt, since borrowing can lift this ratio.
Compared with 288 companies in Consumer Discretionary. Peer median 11.1%.
S1.6 · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Positive EBITDA
Operating profit before depreciation and amortization
Pass$385MThreshold > 0FY 2025> 0
EBITDA: USD 384.6 million in 2025. The core business makes money before depreciation, interest and tax, so day-to-day operations pay for themselves.
S1.7 · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Company snapshot
Market dataMarket data widgets by TradingView. Market prices are not part of the EdgeScore model.
Stage 2 · Refinement
9 of 11 applicable passed · at least 70% needed
SG&A stable or falling
Overhead costs as a share of revenue, over 5 years
Fail34.5%Threshold <= 32.9% (median 32.4% + 0.5 pp)FY 2025<= 32.9% (median 32.4% + 0.5 pp)
SG&A: 34.5% of revenue in 2025, above its median of 32.4% over 2020-2025. Overhead costs are taking a larger share of revenue than usual, which squeezes profit.
S2.1 · 6 annual reports used · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Interest coverage
Operating income over interest expense
Pass5.4xThreshold > 5FY 2025> 5
Interest coverage: 5.4x in 2025. Operating income covers interest costs comfortably, so debt payments are unlikely to strain the business.
S2.2 · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Net margin vs. industry
Net income as a share of revenue, compared with peers
Pass7.2%Threshold >= 4.9% (median 3.9% + 1 pp)FY 2025>= 4.9% (median 3.9% + 1 pp)
Net margin: 7.2% in 2025, against a median of 3.9% for Consumer Discretionary (288 companies). After all costs, interest and tax, the company keeps more of its revenue as profit than most of its peers.
Compared with 288 companies in Consumer Discretionary. Peer median 3.9%.
S2.3 · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
ROA vs. industry
Net income over total assets, compared with peers
Pass8.8%Threshold >= 4.8% (median 3.8% + 1 pp)FY 2025>= 4.8% (median 3.8% + 1 pp)
Return on assets: 8.8% in 2025, against a median of 3.8% for Consumer Discretionary (288 companies). The company produces more profit from the assets it holds than most of its peers, a sign that its resources are used efficiently.
Compared with 288 companies in Consumer Discretionary. Peer median 3.8%.
S2.4 · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Current ratio
Current assets over current liabilities
Pass1.82Threshold > 1.5FY 2025> 1.5
Current ratio: 1.82 in 2025. Short-term assets cover the bills due within a year with a good margin.
S2.5 · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Total assets growing, 5 years
Average yearly growth of total assets
Pass10.8%Threshold average growth > 0%, at most 1 year with a drop over 2%FY 2025average growth > 0%, at most 1 year with a drop over 2%
Total assets grew 10.8% a year on average over 6 annual reports, with 0 years of decline beyond 2%. The company has been building its asset base steadily.
S2.6 · 6 annual reports used · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Free cash flow CAGR, 5 years
Average yearly growth of free cash flow
Pass14.2%Threshold >= 5% a yearFY 2025>= 5% a year
Free cash flow grew 14.2% a year from 2020 to 2025. The cash the business generates after investment is rising at a healthy pace.
S2.7 · 6 annual reports used · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Quick ratio
Current assets excluding inventory over current liabilities
Fail0.87Threshold > 1FY 2025> 1
Quick ratio: 0.87 in 2025, at or below 1. Without its inventory, the company would not cover all the bills due within a year from short-term assets.
S2.8 · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Net debt / EBITDA
Years of operating profit needed to repay net debt
Pass2.7xThreshold < 3FY 2025< 3
Net debt / EBITDA: 2.7x in 2025. Debt net of cash could be repaid from less than three years of operating profit, a manageable load.
S2.9 · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Positive free cash flow
Operating cash flow minus capital expenditure
Pass$435MThreshold > 0FY 2025> 0
Free cash flow: USD 434.8 million in 2025. The business generated more cash than it spent on investment, money it can use for debt, dividends or growth.
S2.10 · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Revenue CAGR, 5 years
Average yearly growth of revenue
Pass8.5%Threshold >= 7% a yearFY 2025>= 7% a year
Revenue grew 8.5% a year from 2020 to 2025. Sales are expanding at a solid pace.
S2.11 · 6 annual reports used · Source: 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR · Original filing
Indicator guide
- Debt / Equity
- Financial debt divided by shareholders' equity shows how much of the business is funded by lenders. Below 1 means owners fund more of the company than creditors do.
- Gross margin vs. industry
- Gross margin is the share of revenue left after the direct cost of products and services. Beating the industry median by at least one point suggests pricing power or a cost advantage.
- Operating cash flow vs. net income
- Compares three years of operating cash flow with three years of reported profit. Above 100% means accounting profit is fully backed by cash coming in.
- Free cash flow vs. net income
- Free cash flow is operating cash flow minus capital spending, compared with profit over three years. Above 80% means most of the profit is cash the company can actually use.
- ROIC stable and rising
- Return on invested capital measures the profit earned on all money invested in the business, by owners and lenders. The latest value must hold near its five-year median and be higher than five years ago.
- Return on equity vs. industry
- Return on equity is net income divided by shareholders' equity. It is compared with the industry median because normal levels differ a lot between industries.
- Positive EBITDA
- EBITDA is operating profit before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. A positive value means the core business earns money before financing and accounting charges.
- SG&A stable or falling
- Selling, general and administrative costs as a share of revenue show how heavy the overhead is. Staying at or below the five-year median means costs are under control.
- Interest coverage
- Operating income divided by interest expense shows how easily the company pays its lenders. Above 5 leaves a wide safety margin if profits fall.
- Net margin vs. industry
- Net margin is the share of revenue that ends up as net profit. It is compared with the industry median to account for different business models.
- ROA vs. industry
- Return on assets is net income divided by total assets. It shows how efficiently the company turns everything it owns into profit, compared with its peers.
- Current ratio
- Current assets divided by current liabilities measures the ability to pay bills due within a year. Above 1.5 indicates a comfortable short-term buffer.
- Total assets growing, 5 years
- Checks that total assets grew on average over five years, with at most one sharp annual decline. The allowed decline depends on the sector, and the check is skipped for software companies.
- Free cash flow CAGR, 5 years
- The average yearly growth rate of free cash flow over five years. At least 5% a year shows the cash a business produces is growing.
- Quick ratio
- Like the current ratio, but without inventory, which can be slow to turn into cash. Above 1 means short-term debts are covered by the most liquid assets.
- Net debt / EBITDA
- Financial debt minus cash, divided by EBITDA, estimates how many years of operating earnings would repay the debt. Below 3 is generally considered manageable.
- Positive free cash flow
- Free cash flow in the latest year must be above zero. It means operations fund investment without new debt or new shares.
- Revenue CAGR, 5 years
- The average yearly growth rate of revenue over five years. At least 7% a year points to a business that keeps expanding.
Data source: SEC EDGAR, company annual reports. Original 10-K (FY 2025). Last updated Oct 29, 2026. Latest fiscal year ends Jan 3, 2026.
How the score works: EdgeScore methodology. Rules version 1.0.0.
For information and education only. Not investment advice. Data may contain errors.