KTB vs COLM vs GIL Stock Comparison

Kontoor Brands, Columbia Sportswear and Gildan Activewear Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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KTB Kontoor Brands, Inc.
$79.05 +20.0% 1M +2.8% 1Y
Market cap
$4.32B
P/E
21.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.45B
Div. yield
2.68%
Apparel Consumer Discretionary
4 wins
COLM Columbia Sportswear Co
$69.12 +20.3% 1M +32.0% 1Y
Market cap
$3.48B
P/E
14.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.43B
Div. yield
1.74%
Apparel Consumer Discretionary
5 wins
GIL Gildan Activewear Inc.
$34.87 -16.4% 1M -39.9% 1Y
Market cap
$6.46B
P/E
28.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.11B
Div. yield
2.81%
Apparel Consumer Discretionary
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Columbia Sportswear leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Columbia Sportswear 5, Kontoor Brands 4, Gildan Activewear 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKTBCOLMGILLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.32B $3.48B $6.46B GIL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.4x 14.7x 28.0x COLM
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.5x 15.0x 7.3x GIL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +51.4% +0.1% +49.7% KTB
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.8% 7.0% 3.9% COLM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 14.4% — 7.9% KTB
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.1x — 3.9x KTB
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 2.68% 1.74% 2.81% GIL
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +2.8% +32.0% -39.9% COLM
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.5%/yr -8.0%/yr -2.9%/yr KTB
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 47.2% 36.6% 48.0% COLM
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 64/100 52/100 COLM

Percentile Scorecard

KTBCOLMGIL

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisKTBCOLMGIL
Valuation 38 #30 of 48 68 #16 of 48 66 #17 of 48
Growth 76 #12 of 46 29 #33 of 46 58 #20 of 46
Profitability 84 #8 of 45 71 #14 of 45 68 #15 of 45
Financial Health 28 #38 of 52 78 #12 of 52 33 #35 of 52
Shareholder Returns 62 #14 of 35 77 #9 of 35 32 #24 of 35
Overall 57 64 52
  • KTB ranked among 52 companies in Apparel and Luxury
  • COLM ranked among 52 companies in Apparel and Luxury
  • GIL ranked among 52 companies in Apparel and Luxury

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodKTBCOLMGILSPY
1 month +20.0%+20.3%-16.4% -5.9%
3 months +0.4%+20.7%-40.1% -4.6%
6 months +1.3%+9.2%-41.3% +0.2%
Year to date +29.4%+25.5%-44.2% +7.5%
1 year +2.8%+32.0%-39.9% +8.2%
3 years +59.4%-11.0%+3.8% +68.3%
3 years, per year +16.8%-3.8%+1.2% +19.0%
5 years +36.8%-34.0%-13.6% +56.5%
5 years, per year +6.5%-8.0%-2.9% +9.4%
10 years —+23.2%+41.6% +251.5%
10 years, per year —+2.1%+3.5% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureKTBCOLMGILSPY
Volatility, 1Y 47.2%36.6%48.0% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 43.7%30.6%53.2% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.830.541.62 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.060.88-0.83 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -48.3%-54.0%-52.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.3%-2.8%-52.0% -5.9%
52-week high $88.17$71.12$72.58 $779.14
52-week low $57.48$49.87$34.87 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleKTBCOLMGIL
P/E now vs peer median 21.4xmedian 17.1x 14.7xmedian 17.1x 28.0xmedian 17.1x
P/S now vs peer median 1.3xmedian 0.8x 1.0xmedian 0.8x 1.3xmedian 0.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 10.4xmedian 10.6x 9.2xmedian 10.6x 11.5xmedian 10.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 10.5xmedian 11.6x 12.6xmedian 11.6x 5.7xmedian 11.6x
P/B now vs peer median 7.7xmedian 2.4x 2.1xmedian 2.4x 1.8xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median -35.94median 0.57 69.00median 0.57 -1.26median 0.57

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsKTBCOLMGIL
Revenue $3.45B $3.43B $5.11B
Gross profit $1.72B $1.78B $1.68B
Operating income $468.77M $299.22M $626.98M
Net income $201.45M $238.77M $199.74M
Free cash flow $413.09M $275.52M $1.14B
EPS (diluted) $3.69 $4.69 $1.25
Cash & equivalents $56.35M $216.92M $249.91M
Total debt $1.14B – $3.59B
Shares (diluted) 54.63M 50.95M 160.20M
Enterprise value $4.07B $1.30B $5.42B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricKTBCOLMGIL
P/E 21.4x 14.7x 28.0x
P/FCF 10.5x 12.6x 5.7x
P/Operating cash flow 9.9x 10.4x 6.2x
P/S 1.3x 1.0x 1.3x
P/B 7.7x 2.1x 1.8x
P/Tangible book 47.4x 2.2x 10.6x
EV/EBITDA 10.4x 9.2x 11.5x
EV/EBIT 11.5x 10.9x 15.6x
EV/Revenue 1.6x 0.9x 1.9x
EV/FCF 13.1x 11.8x 8.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 12.4x 9.7x 9.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -35.94 69.00 -1.26

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKTBCOLMGIL
Revenue growth (1Y) 51.4% 0.1% 49.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.0% -1.6% 17.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 73.4% 3.4% 32.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 15.9% 0.0% 24.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 123.2% 31.5% 12.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 12.6% -5.3% 3.9%
Net income growth (1Y) -7.5% 27.9% -9.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -2.0% -5.6% -24.5%
EPS growth (1Y) -5.0% 37.0% -60.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -0.6% 0.2% -22.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 74.2% 43.4% –
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.8% 1.1% 27.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 79.9% 62.6% –
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 29.2% 1.0% 15.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKTBCOLMGIL
Gross margin 49.9% 52.1% 32.8%
EBITDA margin 15.1% 10.4% 16.6%
Operating margin 13.6% 8.7% 12.3%
Pretax margin 11.6% 9.2% 11.7%
Net margin 5.8% 7.0% 3.9%
FCF margin 12.0% 8.0% 22.3%
Operating cash flow margin 12.6% 9.8% 20.3%
Return on equity 45.2% 14.8% 1.5%
Return on assets 9.8% 8.5% 0.5%
Return on invested capital 14.4% – 7.9%
Return on capital employed 23.6% 14.4% 7.8%
Asset turnover 1.3x 1.2x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.2x 1.4x 5.2x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% 0.8% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKTBCOLMGIL
Debt / assets 40.8% – 36.4%
Debt / equity 2.0x – 1.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.1x – 3.9x
Debt / FCF 2.8x – 3.1x
Liabilities / assets 79.9% 41.5% 63.5%
Equity / assets 20.1% 58.5% 36.5%
Interest coverage 6.9x – 2.6x
Current ratio 1.7x 2.6x 2.3x
Quick ratio 0.4x 1.2x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.3x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 3.27 4.72 1.81

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKTBCOLMGIL
Dividend yield 2.7% 1.7% 2.8%
Net buyback yield 3.1% 6.5% -2.3%
Shareholder yield 5.7% 8.2% 0.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 58.0% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 28.3% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.3% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 2.9% – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusKTBCOLMGIL
Forward P/E 14.5xFY2026 15.0xFY2026 7.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.46FY2026 $4.60FY2026 $4.79FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -2.3%FY2026 +24.7%FY2026 +36.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.4% -8.0% +16.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.85BFY2026 $3.32BFY2026 $5.65BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -9.5%FY2026 -2.2%FY2026 +56.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -4.8% +15.4% +11.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKTBCOLMGIL
Held by institutions 100.0% 51.1% 100.0%
Institutions holding 433 325 464
Change in shares held, QoQ +6.9% +1.8% +7.8%
Institutions buying 218 162 197
Institutions selling 137 111 149
Buyers to sellers 1.59 1.46 1.32

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

KTBCOLMGIL
KTB 1.00 0.53 0.35
COLM 0.53 1.00 0.35
GIL 0.35 0.35 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KTB, COLM and GIL?

Gildan Activewear (GIL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Kontoor Brands (KTB) $4.32B, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) $3.48B, Gildan Activewear (GIL) $6.46B.

Which stock is cheaper, KTB, COLM and GIL?

Columbia Sportswear (COLM) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Kontoor Brands (KTB) 21.4x, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) 14.7x, Gildan Activewear (GIL) 28.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Gildan Activewear (GIL) is cheapest (Kontoor Brands (KTB) 14.5x, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) 15.0x, Gildan Activewear (GIL) 7.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Kontoor Brands (KTB) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Kontoor Brands (KTB) +51.4%, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) +0.1%, Gildan Activewear (GIL) +49.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Columbia Sportswear (COLM) has the highest net margin (Kontoor Brands (KTB) 5.8%, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) 7.0%, Gildan Activewear (GIL) 3.9%). On return on invested capital, Kontoor Brands (KTB) leads (Kontoor Brands (KTB) 14.4%, Gildan Activewear (GIL) 7.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Columbia Sportswear (COLM) returned the most: Kontoor Brands (KTB) +2.8%, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) +32.0%, Gildan Activewear (GIL) -39.9%. Over five years, Kontoor Brands (KTB) compounded fastest (Kontoor Brands (KTB) +6.5%/yr, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) -8.0%/yr, Gildan Activewear (GIL) -2.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Gildan Activewear (GIL) has the highest dividend yield: Kontoor Brands (KTB) 2.68%, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) 1.74%, Gildan Activewear (GIL) 2.81%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) has been the steadiest (Kontoor Brands (KTB) 47.2%, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) 36.6%, Gildan Activewear (GIL) 48.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KTB, COLM and GIL?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Columbia Sportswear (COLM) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.